Working human forebrain circuits assembled in a lab dish
The investigators saw the migrating nerve cells, or neurons, hook up with other neurons in the target region to form functioning circuits characteristic of the cerebral cortex. These observations showcase neuroscientists ' newfound ability to monitor, assemble and manipulate so-called neural spheroids, generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells, to study the normal development of the human forebrain during late pregnancy. "We've never been able to recapitulate these human-brain developmental events in a dish before," said the study's senior author, Sergiu Pasca, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "The process happens in the second half of pregnancy, so viewing it live is challenging. Our method lets us see the entire movie, not just snapshots." The findings, and the techniques used to obtain them, carry potential for the personalized study of individuals' psychiatric disorders. In the study, to be publishe...