The human brain and its neural stem cells postmortem: from dead brains to live therapy

Contrary to the traditional dogma of being a relatively invariable and quiescent organ lacking the capability to regenerate, there is now widespread evidence that the human brain harbors multipotent neural stem cells, possibly throughout senescence. These cells can divide and give rise to neuroectodermal progeny in vivo and are now regarded as powerful prospective candidates for repairing or enhancing the functional capability of neural tissue in trauma or diseases associated with degeneration or malperfusion. Hopes primarily rest upon techniques to either recruit endogenous stem cells or to utilize exogenous donor-derived material for transplantation. In the search for suitable human cell sources, embryonic, fetal, and adult stem cells appear highly controversial, as they are accompanied by various still-unresolved moral and legal challenges. Fascinatingly, however, recent reports indicate the successful isolation and expansion of viable neural stem cells from the rodent and human brain within a considerable postmortem interval, suggesting that postmortem neural stem cells could potentially become an acceptable alternative cellular resource. This article will provide a brief overview about neural stem cells, their prominent features, and prospects for a cellular therapy, and will furthermore illuminate the cells in particular with respect to their newly discovered postmortem provenience, their advantage as a potential cell source, and several unfolding forensic considerations. Also, important ethical, social, and legal implications arising from this hitherto unpracticed cellular harvest of brain tissue from the deceased are outlined.