Surgical Transplant

Although many transplants, especially organ transplants, would not be needed if people took better care of their bodies by exercising and not smoking or drinking alcohol, the number of organ transplants performed each year is likely to continue to grow as long as donor organs can be obtained. In addition, new kinds of transplants are being pioneered.

One of the more exciting advances is the transplantation of tissues and cells from the central nervous system (CNS). These cells have been transplanted into the brains of people suffering from neurological (or nervous system) diseases, like Parkinson disease. CNS cells and tissues have the unique ability to regenerate, or grow back. In the case of Parkinson's patients, the substantia nigra area of the brain can no longer produce the neuro-transmitter (chemical messenger) dopamine, which usually results in the progressive loss of many motor skills to the point where patients can no longer walk or feed themselves. One of the surgical treatments under investigation is to transplant adrenal medullary tissue in hopes that the transplanted tissue will permanently regenerate new cells in the brain.