What is it about?
The team built human stem cell–derived assembloids that recreate the interactions between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. In these assembloids, thalamic input accelerated cortical gene programs and organization, initiated wave-like activity from the thalamus to the cortex, and produced synchronized networks in specific cortical neuron types, revealing how the thalamus organizes human cortical circuits.
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Why is it important?
Recreating this wiring in human tissue reveals core rules of cortical development and provides a practical platform for studying disorders with disrupted thalamocortical interactions, such as autism, and for screening potential therapies.
Perspectives
Building the human brain from stem cells is a powerful way to understand how the brain works. Using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell lines can uncover disease mechanisms and guide the development of new treatments.
Professor FUMITAKA Osakada
Nagoya Daigaku
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Thalamus–cortex interactions drive cell type–specific cortical development in human pluripotent stem cell–derived assembloids, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2506573122.
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