How Stem Cell Therapy Can Cure Alzheimer’s Disease? Alzheimer’s disease is considered the most common cause of dementia or memory loss. The condition which usually affects people above 60 years of age was named after a neurologist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In some cases, the disease also affects patients who are in their 30s or 40s. Patients, with Alzheimer’s, experience memory loss, difficulty in reasoning and decision making. Some patients also report mood swings, social withdrawal, and delusions. Alzheimer’s disease causes the formation of tangles in the brain which results in the loss of cell-to-cell communication, leading to neuronal damage. Stem cell and Alzheimer’s treatment Stem cell treatment significantly helps Alzheimer’s disease patients who don’t respond to typical drug treatment. It also helps those patients who want to reduce their dependency on medication and are looking forward to undergoing stem cell therapy before the commencement of drug treatment. How are stem cells used to treat Alzheimer’s disease? The tangles and plaques in the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient affect two essential proteins – ‘amyloid beta’ and ‘tau.’ As brain tissues get damaged, neutrophils are produced in lesser quantities than a normal brain. Stem cell treatments focus on replacing the damaged cells with healthy stem cells and create healthy brain cells. Cryoviva stem cell and Alzheimer In the past few years, transplants using cord blood stem cells have gained positive acceptance in clinical and research settings. Cord blood banking has allowed successful use of stem cells to improve the condition of Alzheimer’s patients. Though cord blood is collected at the time of a baby’s birth, it can be safely cryopreserved and can be used for years to come.
Different types of stem cells used in Alzheimer’s treatment? Four types of stem cells are known, including:
Adult stem cells Embryonic stem cells Fetal stem cells Induced pluripotent stem cells
How long does it take for the results? As each patient is unique in his/her condition, there is no fixed timeline when the results will be achieved or how quickly it will be observed. However, many patients report results in one to three months. It might take as long as six to nine months. Individuals interested in stem cell therapy should consult their physician and then consider stem cell therapy as a treatment option. In a nutshell, a stem cell transplant is a silver lining for Alzheimer’s patient. Though the therapy will not cure the genetic cause of Alzheimer's, it makes the fight of the patient easier.