Stem cells offer new hope for stroke survivors

Preliminary research suggests that injecting adult stems cells directly into the brain may give stroke patients a new shot at recovery long after their stroke occurred.
"We don't want to oversell this," stressed study lead author Dr. Gary Steinberg, chair of neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo, Alto, Calif.
"This isn't the first stem cell trial for stroke, and we're in the early phase, with only 18 patients. But after injecting stem cells directly into the brain of chronic stroke patients, we were blown away," he said.
"These were patients who had significant motor deficits for six months or more," said Steinberg. "People who had a hard time moving their arm or leg, or walking. People for whom we have no real treatment. But after the injections we saw improvement in all 18 patients, as a group, within a month. Within days some were lifting their arms over their head. Lifting their legs off their bed. Walking, when they hadn't in months or years. The results were very exciting."
About 800,000 Americans experience a stroke every year. There are roughly 7 million chronic stroke survivors in the United States. Many of these survivors end up facing a new reality, in which lost motor function is unlikely to return, the researchers said.
"We're used to 90 percent or more of stroke recovery taking place in the first six months," Steinberg said. "So the thinking has been that we really can't restore function in chronic stroke patients because their circuits are dead."
But the new research set out to upend this thinking. First, the research team selected people who had severe, but not extreme, motor impairment from a stroke. Most had experienced their stroke at least one year prior to the study launch. Their average age was 61. One such patient was Long Beach, Calif., resident Sonia Olea Coontz.
"I was 31 when I had my stroke on May 14, 2011," she said. Between then and her 2013 enrollment in the trial, Coontz struggled with a debilitating loss of mobility.
"I could only move my right arm very little," she recalled. "And I was in a lot of pain. Same with my leg. Walking was very difficult.
    Health Day

Stem cells offer new hope for stroke survivors

Preliminary research suggests that injecting adult stems cells directly into the brain may give stroke patients a new shot at recovery long after their stroke occurred. We dont want to oversell this, stressed study lead author Dr. Gary Steinberg, chair of neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo, Alto, Calif. This isnt the first stem cell trial for stroke, and were in the early phase, with only 18 patients. But after injecting stem cells directly into the brain of chronic stroke patients, we were blown away, he said. These were patients who had significant motor deficits for six months or more, said Steinberg. People who had a hard time moving their arm or leg, or walking. People for whom we have no real treatment. But after the injections we saw improvement in all 18 patients, as a group, within a month. Within days some were lifting their arms over their head. Lifting their legs off their bed. Walking, when they hadnt in months or years. The results were very exciting. About 800,000 Americans experience a stroke every year. There are roughly 7 million chronic stroke survivors in the United States. Many of these survivors end up facing a new reality, in which lost motor function is unlikely to return, the researchers said. Were used to 90 percent or more of stroke recovery taking place in the first six months, Steinberg said. So the thinking has been that we really cant restore function in chronic stroke patients because their circuits are dead. But the new research set out to upend this thinking. First, the research team selected people who had severe, but not extreme, motor impairment from a stroke. Most had experienced their stroke at least one year prior to the study launch. Their average age was 61. One such patient was Long Beach, Calif., resident Sonia Olea Coontz. I was 31 when I had my stroke on May 14, 2011, she said. Between then and her 2013 enrollment in the trial, Coontz struggled with a debilitating loss of mobility. I could only move my right arm very little, she recalled. And I was in a lot of pain. Same with my leg. Walking was very difficult. Health Day