[Neuro spheres as a source of cells for repair of the central nervous system]

Neurons and oligodendrocytes are terminally differentiated cells. This means that once they have differentiated from their precursor cells, they cannot proliferate. A direct consequence of this type of differentiation is that cell repair is impossible in areas where neurodegenerative disease have caused the death of neurons and oligodendroglia. Recently multipotential neuroepithelial precursors of the central nervous system (CNS) have been isolated and characterized in vitro.

In this study we review the capacity for nervous repair of these neuroepithelial precursors from the neurobiological point of view. These cells, known as neuro-spheres can be cultivated, amplified and cryopreserved for subsequent transplanting. Already there are many studies showing how neuro-spheres maintain their capacity for differentiation in vivo and that they can reach certain localized areas of the CNS.

From this review we conclude that through the study and manipulation of these neuro-spheres, new goals in CNS repair may be achieved.