Transplantation of neural tissue into the spinal cord

Gerta Vrbová

The spinal cord, if damaged, normally has a very limited ability to restore itself to normal function. However, a new technique of tissue transplantation has led to significant advances in this area. This book briefly describes the structure and function of the mammalian spinal cord. It then reviews the latest results of experiments where grafts of embryonic tissue were used to encourage regeneration of the host spinal cord, or to replace different cell population. Methods of restoration using foetal grafts are discussed, as is the contribution made by this controversial approach toward understanding problems of developmental neuroscience.