Ameliorating nervous systems disorders
The present disclosure provides methods for the treatment of a mammal having a neurological condition, disease, or injury. The methods involve increasing the number of functional GABAergic interneurons at or near the site of the neurological disease, injury, or condition.
1. A method for improving motor activity in the nervous system of a mammal having impaired motor activity, comprising:
transplanting genetically-modified medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) precursor cells into the nervous system of the mammal;
wherein the MGE precursor cells are genetically modified to allow tracking of the MGE precursor cells following transplantation.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mammal has a central nervous system (CNS) disorder.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells are transplanted in or near the striatum.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells are transplanted in or near the neocortex.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assessing the mammal for an improvement in motor activity following transplantation of the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the MGE precursor cells are genetically modified to express a fluorescent protein.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the MGE precursor cells are genetically modified to express green fluorescent protein.
8. A method for improving motor activity in the nervous system of a mammal having impaired motor activity, comprising:
transplanting genetically-modified medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) precursor cells into the nervous system of the mammal;
wherein the MGE precursor cells are genetically modified to express an exogenous protein.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the exogenous protein is a neurotransmitter producing enzyme, a neurotrophin, a neural promoting growth factor, a neural inhibitory growth factor, or a neuropoietic cytokine.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the exogenous protein is a telomerase.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells differentiate into GAB Aergic neurons following transplantation, and where differentiation of the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells into GAB Aergic neurons is assessed by improvement in motor activity following transplantation of the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the mammal has a central nervous system (CNS) disorder.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells are transplanted in or near the striatum.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells are transplanted in or near the neocortex.
15. A method for improving motor activity in the nervous system of a mammal having impaired motor activity, comprising:
transplanting genetically-modified medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) precursor cells into the nervous system of the mammal;
wherein the MGE precursor cells are genetically modified to modulate expression of a protein associated with neural function, wherein the protein is a neurotransmitter producing enzyme, a neurotrophin, a neural promoting growth factor, a neural inhibitory growth factor, a neuropoietic cytokine, or a telomerase.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the protein is a telomerase.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells differentiate into GAB Aergic neurons following transplantation, and where differentiation of the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells into GAB Aergic neurons is assessed by assaying motor activity following transplantation of the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the mammal has a central nervous system (CNS) disorder.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells are transplanted in or near the striatum.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the genetically-modified MGE precursor cells are transplanted in or near the neocortex.
21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the protein is a neurotransmitter producing enzyme, a neurotrophin, a neural promoting growth factor, a neural inhibitory growth factor, or a neuropoietic cytokine.