Although medical advancements have significantly increased the survival of spinal cord injury patients, restoration of function has not yet been achieved. Neural transplantation has been studied over the past decade in animal models as a repair strategy for spinal cord injury. Although spinal cord neural transplantation has yet to reach the point of clinical application and much work remains to be done, reconstructive strategies offer the greatest hope for the treatment of spinal cord injury in the future. This article presents the scientific basis of neural transplantation as a repair strategy and reviews the current status of neural transplantation in spinal cord injury.