Transplanting brain cells, from a region called the choroid plexus, into rats that have suffered a stroke seems to reduce the damage that occurs, according to a report in the medical journal Stroke.

The choroid plexus grafts were taken from baby pigs.

“These data are the first to demonstrate the (nerve-protecting) potential of transplanted choroid plexus and raise the intriguing possibility of using these cells as part of the treatment regimen for stroke and other neurological disorders,” lead author Dr. Cesar V. Borlongan, from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and colleagues note.

Choroid plexus is known to secrete various chemicals that help nerves grow. In the current study, the researchers tested the benefits of choroid plexus cells in lab tests.

In test tubes, the choroid plexus cells protected nerve cells from damage. Further testing confirmed the presence of several nerve growth factors.

In rats in which a type of stroke had been induced, transplantation of the choroid plexus grafts improved behavioral performance and reduced the amount of nerve injury that occurred after stroke.

“We are excited about the potential therapeutic benefits of the choroid plexus but we are moving cautiously toward the idea of using this approach in humans,” Borlongan said in a statement.

SOURCE: Stroke, September 2004.