Could stem cell transplant “fix” schizophrenia?

September 11, 2013

Experimental work on rats suggests transplanting stem cells could be a permanent cure for schizophrenia, University of Texas researchers say. In a study released Monday, a team at the Health Science Center in San Antonio said cells removed from rat fetuses and injected into the hippocampus of adult rats restored normal functioning. Schizophrenics lack cells called “interneurons” that govern the dopamine system and the hippocampus, which plays an important function in learning, memory and executive functioning such as decision-making. (UPI)