Human brain is two separate organs, research finds
- On Friday, Stanford-led researchers published findings in Nature Neuroscience revealing the human brain develops from two distinct neural systems rather than a single progenitor cell, challenging decades of scientific consensus.
- Genetic analysis shows progenitor cells expressing the gene Otx2 form the forebrain and midbrain, while cells expressing Gbx2 follow a separate developmental path to create the hindbrain.
- This two-part blueprint extends back over 500 million years, appearing in diverse species including zebrafish and acorn worms, which share a distant common ancestor with humans.
- Scientists successfully grew hindbrain motor neurons in a lab for the first time, providing a new model to study spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis .
- Developmental biologist Rayyan Jokhai noted the research could accelerate investigations into brainstem conditions, ultimately aiding development of regenerative therapies for patients with these genetic disorders.
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30 Articles
The consequence may be important for studying diseases such as spinal muscle atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Both affect motor neurons.
For centuries, scientists have thought of the brain as a single, homogeneous organ. But new research is changing that. Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have revealed that the brain is made up of two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years. The two separate parts The discovery overturns the dominant model of brain development, which held that all brain regions had a common developmental…
The brain has always been considered a single organ, but now a research conducted by the University of Stanford and published in the journal Nature Neuroscience overturns this conviction: it is, in reality, two distinct organs, which have evolved into ... (ANSA)
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