Transplantation of neural stem cells into epileptic brain

Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) differentiate into multiple cell lineages including neurons and glia. Subsequent to the isolation of neural stem cells, they can be expanded, genetically modified and extensively characterized prior to transplantation. These neural stem cells represent an ideal cell type for transplantation purpose in the central nervous system due to their multipotency. In the present study, we optimized the effective method to induce the differentiation of GABAergic neurons from neurospheres that had been derived from ES cells. Moreover, the effect of the transplantation of these cells was investigated on morphological and functional outcome in grafted mice kindled by electrical stimulation.