Survival of neural stent cells in the cochlea

Adult rat hippocampus-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) have been reported t o have been successfully grafted in several brain regions. To evaluate the possibility of treatment of sensorineural hearing loss using NSCs, survival of NSCs in the cochlea was estimated. NSCs were grafted into newborn rat c ochleas. Within 2-4 weeks of grafting to the cochlea, some NSCs survived in the cochlear cavity. Some of them had adopted the morphologies and positio ns of hair cells. This suggests that NSCs can adapt to the environment of t he cochlea and gives hope for treatment of the damaged cochlea and sensorin eural hearing loss.