Håkan Widner

TL;DR: Two subjects with Parkinson's disease who had long-term survival of transplanted fetal mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons (11–16 years) developed α-synuclein–positive Lewy bodies in grafted neurons, providing the first evidence, to the authors' knowledge, that the disease can propagate from host to graft cells.

TL;DR: The grafts, which were implanted unilaterally into the putamen by stereotactic surgery, restored dopamine synthesis and storage in the grafted area, as assessed by positron emission tomography with 6-L-[18F]fluorodopa.

TL;DR: A dedicated program entitled “Neurosurgical Interventions in Parkinson's Disease” (NIPD) was funded by the European Union Biomed 2 program to develop a new Core Assessment Program for Surgical Interventional Therapies in PD (CAPSIT‐PD) and to establish an European registry for patients with PD subjected to functional neurosurgery.

TL;DR: Grafted neurons can continue for a decade to store and release dopamine and give rise to substantial symptomatic relief in a patient with Parkinson's disease.