The Role of Autologous Adipose Derived Neural Progenitor Cells with Cognitive and Motoric Function in Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is primarily a disorder of movement and posture due to neurological damage before, during, or within five years of birth that prevents the brain from developing properly. Supportive treatments, medications, and surgery may conduct, but no optimal results have been obtained. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the intraventricular implantation of adipose derived neural progenitor stem cells in post-cerebral palsy patients. Methods: 14 patients were included in this study. Small adipose tissue was isolated by small lipopectomy under local anesthesia, cultured and derived become neural progenitor cells. Intraventricular implantations were performed in the operating room. Patients were evaluated based on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) according to their motor skills before and after treatment in 12 months. The assessment includes cognitive functions, motoric functions and spasticity changes. Descriptive statistics are provided. Results and Discussion: Ten of twelve CP patients (83.33%) had a significant improvement after treatment. The improvement ranged from 1 to 3 levels on the GMFCS score, and improvement was most pronounced in motor skills and cognitive skills. There were no serious adverse events reported, limited to mild headaches, fever or vomiting, and all side effects resolved within few days. Conclusion: Because of the small sample size and non-randomized trial performed, we could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding the potential of intraventricular implantation. However, this small study shows that repeated intraventricular implantation of autologous adipose stem cells is advantageous.

Keywords: Cerebral palsy, GMFCS, stem cell, Adipose tissue, Neural progenitor cells, Intraventricular implantation.