Adult neural stem cells and central nervous system repair

It has long been believed that the adult mammalian central nervous system does not regenerate after injury. However, recent advances in the field of stem cell biology, including the identification of Musashi-1-positive neural stem cells (NSCs) or NSC-like cells, has provided new insight for the development of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at inducing regeneration in the damaged central nervous system (CNS). The major strategies for inducing regeneration in the damaged CNS can be classified into two subgroups: (1) activation of endogenous neural stem cells and (2) cell transplantation therapies. In this paper, we would like to summarize our recent findings on the functions of the neural RNA-binding protein Musashi-l expressed in neural stem cells in relation to insult-induced neurogenesis, and therapeutic interventions for spinal cord injury, especially focusing on the treatment of spinal cord injury in the acute phase with anti-IL-6 receptor blocking antibody.