Intrathecal cell therapy with autologous stromal cells increases cerebral glucose metabolism and can offer a new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's type dementia.

BACKGROUND AIMS: After recent observations that intrathecal administration of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) increases cerebral metabolism in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), we examined this type of cell therapy in Alzheimer's type dementia.

METHODS: Three patients with clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease received every 3 months 100million autologous MSCs by intrathecal route, until a total dose of 300million.

RESULTS: During cell therapy the patients showed arrest in neurological deterioration and two of them manifested clear improvement of previous symptoms. A global increase in cerebral glucose metabolism, measured using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET), was observed after every administration of cell therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: Our present findings suggest that intrathecal administrations of autologous MSCs can be a new strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia.