Transplanting human cells into animal brains brings insights into development and disease along with new ethical questions.
Credit: Raquel Real, Manuel Peter, Rick Livesey and Vincenzo De Paola
“We expected some connectivity, but we were quite stunned at how specific the responses were,” says Bonin. “There are a million ways this could have failed.” De Paola’s team did the same transplant experiment using neurons made from cells from people with Down’s syndrome. They found that these neurons formed less dynamic networks, with lower neural activity — but it’s unclear what relationship, if any, exists between the two features. The team is exploring that next. “We can do that experiment in this model. Obviously, we cannot do it in a human adult or fetal brain,” De Paola says.
To overcome these limitations, neuroscientists have begun to transplant organoids into an animal’s brain to more closely model the complexity of human brain circuits and how they go awry in disease. Gage’s group now plans to transplant brain organoids made from the cells of people with Alzheimer’s disease into healthy mouse brains and, conversely, healthy human organoids into mouse brains that mimic Alzheimer’s symptoms. The aim is to tease apart which cell types — the neurons themselves, or other brain cells such as astrocytes — contribute to the inflammation seen in the disease.“For the first time, we are able to monitor living human brain tissue in a disease context,” Gage says.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
2023 Lexus UX250h Hybrid Adds Cheaper, More Efficient FWD ModelThe smallest Lexus crossover, now offered only as a hybrid, has a new front-wheel-drive base model that starts at $35,850 and is EPA-rated at 42 mpg combined.
Lire la suite »
MIT Claims New Artificial Neuron 1 Million Times Faster Than the Real ThingThink and you’ll miss it: researchers at MIT claim to have successfully created analog synapses a million times faster than those in our human brains.
Lire la suite »
First CRISPR cure for high cholesterol enters human trial phaseResearchers have managed to create a cure for high cholesterol. After seeing success in animals, the cure has moved to its first human trials.
Lire la suite »
Human Brains Can Solve Hard Problems Moments Before Falling Asleep, Study FindsResearchers have discovered that humans experience a “creative sweet spot” in the moments right before we fall asleep that can help solve tough problems.
Lire la suite »
Revealing the Genes that Shape the Human BrainThe genes that underlie devastating neurological disorders offer valuable insights on intelligence, psychiatric disorders and the nature of being human, says 2022 Kavli Prize winner Christopher Walsh. [Sponsored by KavliPrize]
Lire la suite »
2023 Lexus UX250h Hybrid Adds Cheaper, More Efficient FWD ModelThe smallest Lexus crossover, now offered only as a hybrid, has a new front-wheel-drive base model that starts at $35,850 and is EPA-rated at 42 mpg combined.
Lire la suite »