Psychological

• DEPRESSION

DEPRESSION

Depression is a common frequently undiagnosed mental disorder effecting about 5% adults globally. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and can lead to suicide with 700,000 deaths annually. Suicide is in the top 10 leading causes of death.

Depressed patients feel sad, irritable, empty, disrupted sleep, changes in appetite or weight, feeling excessively tired with loss of pleasure and interest in activities. There may also be poor concentration, feelings of excessive guilt, low self-worth, hopelessness, thoughts about dying or suicide. It must be established that these symptoms are not due to another medical condition. The symptoms must be present daily for at least two weeks.

Depression results in impaired social interactions with family and friends as well as impaired work performance. Depression can be mild, moderate, or severe. Depression may occur with manic phases as in Bipolar Disorder.

Depression has many possible causes, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and other medical problems. Researchers have discovered that depression is linked to specific brain areas with chemicals (such as Serotonin , Dopamine etc.), nerve cell connections and their growth needed for optimal functioning of neural circuits. It is known that hippocampus in the brain is smaller in depressed individuals compared to normal. Also stress can suppress the production of new neurons (nerve cells) in the hippocampus. Both leading to volume loss. Depression has thus been called a “neurodegenerative” disease. Amygdala has been found to demonstrate increased activity. Thalamus is the neural bridge that transmit information from central brain to the outer cortex – converting sensory input into actions such as speech, movement, thinking, learning etc.

Brain transmission are electrical impulses that are passed along from one area to another by neurotransmitters or chemicals that forward messages. Nerve health and adequate neurotransmitter concentrations are very important factors in mood regulation. For optimal functioning neurotransmitters (such as Serotonin, Dopamine etc.) must be continuously replenished and maintained in adequate amounts. Thus the cells producing the chemicals must be healthy and must be continuously replaced. Damaged cells produce insufficient amounts or faulty neurotransmitters so that normal transmission of electrical signals cannot occur and patient is depressed

Treatment of depression includes psychological and medical therapies. Medical therapy uses antidepressants that boost concentrations of neurotransmitters in the brain but the effect takes several weeks or longer to develop. This delay suggests that there is probably a need to generate new neurons, possible strengthening of nerve cell connections and nerve circuit communications to produce the end result.

Stem Cells offer a new possible treatment option for depression. Stem Cells because of their ability to differentiate into various cell types and stimulate differentiation of resident stem cells as well into deficient tissues repair the damage. Once the damaged tissues are replaced the deficient neurotransmitters start getting produced in adequate quantities to heal the patient naturally. Dr. Khan’s personal experience is that patients state “they do not feel the need for medications” and stop taking antidepressants voluntarily.

Treating Autism with Stem Cells began after Duke University in 2005 onwards performed a series of studies in children with cerebral palsy. Several papers were published thereafter demonstrating that Stem Cell therapy in cerebral palsy yielded significant improvements in the treatment group versus the control group. This led to treatment of other neurodevelopmental disorders with Stem Cells including the much more common autism

Dr. Kurtzberg’s team at Duke launched their first autism clinical trial in 2014 treating children with their own cord blood (NCT02176317). The published results showed significant improvements on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS) as well as clinician-measured scales. Improvements were much better in children that started with a non-verbal IQ at or above 70. Panama Stem Cell Institute also conducted a trial in 2015 and published similar results in June 2019.

Autism spectrum disorder children usually have heightened immune system activity and neuro-inflammation in the brain effecting neural connectivity in the brain. There is evidence that stem cells can improve the overall regulation of the immune system and the neural connectivity in the brain. Stem Cells with their unique capability of differentiating and multiplying repair the damage and or deficit to improve the child’s condition.