Human brain cells transplanted into mice offer new disease research model

Researchers transplanted lab-grown human brain cells into mice engineered without a cortex or hippocampus, with the neurons successfully integrating into the animals' brains, according to a study published in Nature. The human organoids flourished, connecting to blood vessels and expanding to nearly 4 million neurons, while mice exposed to low oxygen showed walking difficulties, revealing rare von Economo neurons linked to frontotemporal dementia. Stanford professor Sergiu Pașca said the model provides access to human brain functions difficult to study otherwise, potentially revolutionizing research into Alzheimer's, autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.