• Intracerebral transplantation of autologous MSCs in subacute ischemic stroke patients led to increased FDG-PET and IMZ-SPECT uptake in peri-infarct cortical regions in 5 of 7 patients.
• Metabolic and synaptic improvements were predominantly observed in the frontal and temporal cortex and correlated with functional recovery.
• Transplanted cells were localized either within metabolically enhanced regions or in anatomically remote areas, suggesting both local and remote effects.
• Serial FDG-PET and IMZ-SPECT imaging may serve as biomarkers for evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of cell transplantation in stroke.