When injected into aged laboratory animals, human umbilical cord blood cells improved the brain's microenvironment, decreasing inflammation in the brain, increasing neurogenesis, and restoring some lost capacity of stem/progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate into neurons.

Researchers found that the number of proliferative cells increased within 24 hours of injection, with proliferation continuing for at least 15 days.

Researchers concluded that cell therapy may be an effective way of improving the microenvironment of the hippocampus.

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