Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41233589›Full record

ReviewNature reviews. Neuroscience2026

Stem cell-mediated recovery in stroke: partnering with the immune system.

Nadia McMillan, Alexandra McMillan, Pien Kiliaan, Taha Yahya, Roshni Thakkar, Howard Weiner, Stelios Smirnakis, Dileep Yavagal, Saef Izzy

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Nadia McMillanDivisions of Stroke, Cerebrovascular, and Critical Care Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Alexandra McMillanDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Pien KiliaanImmunology of CNS Injury Program at Ann Romney Center for Neurological Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Taha YahyaDivisions of Stroke, Cerebrovascular, and Critical Care Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Roshni ThakkarDepartments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Jackson Memorial Hospital and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2091-3283
Howard WeinerImmunology of CNS Injury Program at Ann Romney Center for Neurological Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Stelios SmirnakisDivisions of Stroke, Cerebrovascular, and Critical Care Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Dileep YavagalDepartments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Jackson Memorial Hospital and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
Saef IzzyDivisions of Stroke, Cerebrovascular, and Critical Care Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. sizzy@bwh.harvard.edu.

Funding

Dense Analysis of Cortical Circuit Dysfunction in the MECP2-duplication Syndrome of AutismR01NS113890 · NINDS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI SMIRNAKIS, STELIOS MANOLIS · 2021 to 2025
$3.3M
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS113890
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stroke remains a leading cause of disability owing to the irreversible neuronal loss that it causes and the limited regenerative capacity of the CNS. Although reperfusion therapies such as thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy can restore blood flow after stroke, their stringent eligibility criteria leave many patients without treatment options. The immune response, involving complex interactions between brain-resident and peripheral immune cells, has a critical role in stroke recovery. Stem cell-based therapies, particularly those involving neural stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells, may be able to reshape the inflammatory microenvironment after stroke, mitigating secondary injury and promoting tissue repair. However, the precise mechanisms driving their effects remain incompletely understood, hindering clinical translation. In this Review, we highlight the bidirectional crosstalk between stem cells and immune cells (including microglia, T cells and peripheral immune cells) and discuss how these interactions influence neuroinflammation, neural plasticity and circuit remodelling in stroke recovery. We examine key determinants of stem cell therapy efficacy, emphasizing the role of stem cell-immune cell interactions, and discuss targeted strategies to enhance immune modulation and neuroprotection.

Indexed as

Immune SystemNeural Stem CellsRecovery of FunctionStem Cell TransplantationStrokeAnimalsHumans

Identifiers

PMID41233589
PMCPMC13281087

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.