Clinical Trial to Evaluate Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy for PSP, a Rare Form of Parkinsonism

Inclusion Criteria: diagnosis of 'probable Progressive Supranuclear Palsy - Richardson's disease subtype' according to current diagnostic criteria (Litvan et al. 1996 and 2003) * age at onset at least 40 years; * disease duration 12 months to 8 years; * supranuclear ophthalmoplegia; * postural instability or falls within 3 years from disease onset * positive MRI for PSP criteria (Quattrone et al, 2008) * Stable pharmacological treatment for at least 90 days * Lack of response to chronic levodopa (at least 12-month treatment). * Able to stand in upright posture without assistance for at least 30 seconds * Written informed consent (including video taping) Exclusion Criteria: * Idiopathic Parkinson's disease; * Cerebellar ataxia * Symptomatic autonomic dysfunction * Evidence of any other neurological disease that could explain signs; * History of repeated strokes with stepwise progression of parkinsonian features; * History of major stroke; * Any history of severe or repeated head injury; * A history of encephalitis; * A history of neuroleptic use for a prolonged period of time or within the past 6 months; * Street-drug related parkinsonism; * Significant other neurological disease on CT-scan/MRI; * Oculogyric crises; * Major signs of corticobasal degeneration; * Signs of Lewy body disease; * Other life-threatening disease likely to interfere with the main outcome measure; * Any clinically significant laboratory abnormality, with the exception of cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose; * Renal failure (serum creatinine more than 300 mM/l); * Transaminase elevation more than twice the upper limit of normal; * Any concomitant disorder associated with bone marrow function impairment * Any concomitant disorder that requires chronic treatment with immunosuppressors, anti-inflammatory agents, and/or growth factors * dementia (MMSE \< 24 according to Folstein 1975 or defined according to DSM-IV TR criteria) * any other disorder that could interfere with the evaluation of treatment or that could make intra-arterial infusion inadvisable * any other features that, according to the investigator, could reduce adherence to protocol procedures or prevent rapid access in case of emergency; * women of child-bearing age * participation in another clinical trial with experimental treatment in the last 30 days * brain MRI evidence of severe vascular abnormalities, space-occupying lesions or normal pressure hydrocephalus