Cell Therapy For The Treatment Of Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is recognized in patients having both intellectual and adaptive functioning issues. It is assessed by a doctor through standardized IQ testing. An IQ score of 70 - 75 indicates the patient as being intellectually disabled. The scores can vary considerably or may also not accurately reflect his/her overall intellectual functioning. There are many degrees of intellectual disability ranging from mild to profound.

The areas of functioning impaired due to intellectual disability are:

• Conceptual: Inability to read, write, reason, remember, attention deficit
• Social: Lack of communication skill, empathy, make friends, follow rules
  

Causes 

Some of the known causes of intellectual disability are:

• Genetic conditions: Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome  
• Problems during pregnancy: Interference with fetal brain development due to excessive alcohol or drug use, and infections
• Problems during childbirth: Occurs when the baby’s brain is deprived of fresh oxygen supply or if he/she is born extremely premature
• Illness or injury: Infections like measles or meningitis can lead to intellectual disability in the newborn baby. A head injury or a near-drowning incident or exposure to toxins such as lead also lead to intellectual disability.
• Signs of intellectual disability

Given below are some of the common signs of intellectual disability:

• Late in reaching the motor milestone like sitting, crawling, rolling over, walking
• Having trouble while talking
• Slow to learn things like dressing, tying a shoelace, eating  
• Find difficult to remember things
• Behaviour problems such as tantrums
• Difficulty with logical thinking
• Health problems that include anxiety, seizures, vision and hearing issues

Intellectual Disability is a non-progressive condition that affects a person’s cognition, behaviour, and social skills. Although there is no complete cure for this condition, still cell therapy for intellectual disability focuses on the symptoms and addressing its core neurological condition. To reverse the damage caused to the brain, intellectual disability treatment, cell treatment is a neuro-restorative therapy which benefits patients in gaining the needed skills.

Autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are approved for intellectual disability treatment.  They are easily collected from the patient’s own bone marrow and have the capability to multiply into numerous cells. The treatment procedure is accomplished in Neurogen hospital in just three easy steps.

• The bone marrow is extracted with the help of an aspiration needle from the patient’s own hip bone.
• The collected marrow tissue undergoes a filtration process to separate the stem cells.
• The acquired stem cells are intrathecally introduced in the spinal area.

Once inside the body, these stem cells migrate to the damaged areas of the brain to differentiate into neurons, adopt the properties of the host cells, and accelerate the neurorestorative processes.  Thus cell therapy for intellectual disability has proved to be beneficial in minimizing the severity of the disorder.

The treatment with the bone marrow-derived stem cells in combination with rehabilitation therapies or conventional treatment such as speech therapy and occupational therapy are aimed towards improving the symptoms of intellectual disability.  The objective is to reduce the level of impairment while enhancing the functional ability of the individual.

Muscular Dystrophy Cell Treatment For Repair Of Weak Muscles

Muscular dystrophy is an assemblage of diseases that damage and gradually weaken the body muscles rendering the person helpless. The damages sets in due to the lack of a protein called dystrophin, essential for normal muscle and motor functions. The absence of dystrophin causes problems while walking, swallowing, posture, and limb coordination. Muscular dystrophy treatment involving autologous stem cells, can maintain the balance of dystrophin and strengthen the musculoskeletal muscles to produce all the required movements of the body. 

The prognosis for muscular dystrophy is based on the severity of the symptom. Most individuals lose the ability to walk and become totally dependent on supportive devices and wheelchair to move about. Although there is no known cure for muscular dystrophy, still early diagnosis and certain therapies may help in reducing the dearth of the symptoms.

Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is common among children.  The symptoms include:

• Irregular walking gait
• Loss of reflexes
• Difficulty standing up from sitting or sleeping position
• Poor posture
• Bone fragility
• Abnormal curvature of your spine (scoliosis)
• Intellectual impairment
• Difficulties while swallowing and breathing

If the individuals with muscular dystrophy are not provided with apt treatment, at an early stage, they may get confined to a wheelchair before they enter teenage. For muscular dystrophy cell treatment is a promising treatment option to rebuild the waning muscle and also curb further musculoskeletal deterioration.

Stem Cell-Based Therapies

Stem cells are specialized body cells found in tissues (like bone marrow) and can proliferate and replicate themselves for a long period of time. For muscular dystrophy, cell treatment is a stem cell-based therapy, responsible for the development of muscle tissues. Stem cells sourced from the patient’s own bone marrow have these properties:

• They are capable of dividing and self-renewal for a long time
• They can give rise to specialized or any cell type

Therapies with stem cells restore the skeletal muscle deficiency in individuals with muscular dystrophy by regenerating new muscle fibers. 

For muscular dystrophy treatment, the mesenchymal stem cells derived from the patient’s own bone marrow is processed in the fully equipped GLP (Good Lab Practice) & GMP (Good Medical Practice) laboratory of the Neurogen hospital. The treated stem cells are injected into the muscles using a very thin needle.

The individuals are enrolled in rehabilitation therapies, post cell therapy, for better results.

Cell Therapy - The Best Treatment For Autism

Autism is a spectrum of disorders marked with the inabilities to maintain normal communication and social interactions. It is associated with symptoms of self-stimulatory or repetitive behaviors, and also loss of interests. When these challenges interfere with a child’s normal growth, diagnosis at an autism treatment center is essential. 

Autism Related Conditions

Children with autism exhibit a large spectrum of disorders. These may include attention disorders, sensory or regulatory conditions, etc., which involve a number of different problems, including:

• A tendency to avoid interaction
• Limited eye contact 
• Failure to develop pretend play
• Problems following simple directions
• Do not point to show things
• Poor coordination
• Echolalia or repeating what has been said
• Hates being hugged or touched

At the autism treatment center, a child with autism receives a diagnosis based on the behaviors and symptoms he/she shows. As autism is said to be a spectrum of disorders, each child is diagnosed with a unique pattern of development and functioning.  

What causes autism?

Autism is the result of a neurologic abnormality, still findings points to:

•  Genetic defect: A number of different genes when combined, increase the risk of the child getting autism. When having one child with autism, the risk of having another with autism is low. 
• Medical condition: Untreated metabolic disorders, congenital infections (rubella), genetic disorders (X syndrome), underdeveloped brain (cerebral palsy and autism) or neurologic disorders acquired before or after birth. 

Environmental factors and exposures toxins may result in an increased risk of autism.

Cell Therapy To Combat Autism

Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells derived from marrow tissue show great therapeutic potential in cell treatment. They have the potential to multiply and differentiate into any cell type while also adapting their properties. The ability to differentiate helps in replacing the dead cells of the tissue, healing the injury and reconstructing the lost functionality.   

To receive the best autism treatment in India, people from other continents flock to NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute to meet Dr. Alok Sharma and discuss the treatment options to treat their children or kins. The fame of Dr. Sharma has spread throughout the world for his expertise in treating autism with stem cells. An expert neurosurgeon, he along with his team of doctors, nurses and therapists provide comprehensive care for individuals with spinal cord injuries, muscular diseases, and neurological disorders. From diagnosis to treatment and recovery, the hospital provides all facilities under one roof.   

Therapy with marrow-derived autologous stem cells is the best autism treatment in India. These cells do not invoke any risk of rejection in the body as compared to the allogeneic (donated) stem cells.