Stem cells reverse stroke damage and restore movement in mice

Date: September 21, 2026 Source: University of Zurich Summary: Stem cell transplants helped regenerate stroke-damaged brain tissue in mice, producing new neurons and restoring lost motor function. The treatment also improved blood vessels, inflammation, and the blood-brain barrier, raising hopes that a similar approach could eventually help repair the human brain after stroke. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY This image shows a coronal section through the mouse brain after stroke and neural stem cell transplantation. The dashed circle indicates the stroke area. The neurite projections of the transplanted human cells are stained in dark brown. Neurites extend locally into the cortex (CX) but also via the corpus callosum (CC) into the other brain hemisphere. Credit: University of Zurich Stem cell transplants may be able to repair damage caused by stroke, according to researchers at the University of Zurich. In experiments with mice, the treatment helped generate new neurons, restore movement, and trigger several other forms of brain repair, offering a promising step toward regenerative treatments for neurological damage. Stroke is extremely common, affecting about one in four adults over a lifetime. Roughly half of those who experience one are left with lasting problems such as paralysis or difficulty speaking. These disabilities can occur because a stroke deprives parts of the brain of oxygen or causes bleeding that destroys brain cells. Once those cells are lost, the damage has traditionally been considered permanent because there are currently no treatments capable of rebuilding the affected brain tissue. "That's why it is essential to pursue new therapeutic approaches to potential brain regeneration after diseases or accidents," says Christian Tackenberg, the Scientific Head of Division in the Neurodegeneration Group at the University of Zurich (UZH) Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Stem Cells Could Help Rebuild Brain Tissue One possible approach involves neural stem cells, which can develop into multiple types of cells found in the nervous system. A research team led a group headed . The results suggest that the transplanted cells do more than simply replace neurons lost after a stroke. "Our findings show that neural stem cells not only form new neurons, but also induce other regeneration processes," Tackenberg says. Human Stem Cells Become New Neurons The researchers used human neural stem cells capable of producing different types of nervous system cells. These cells were created from induced pluripotent stem cells, which are made . The team then induced permanent strokes in mice. The resulting brain damage was designed to closely resemble important features of stroke in humans.