Neuroscience News

Different genes linked to autism can lead to the same symptoms and molecular pathways, according to a Wu Tsai Neuro Big Ideas-funded collaboration between the Pasca Lab and UCLA Health researchers

Neural organoids have been revealing 'bombshell secrets about brain development.' But what are they?

A recent meeting gathered scientists, ethicists, patient advocates and more to discuss organoid ethics.

Researchers studying the human brain shared a lot of fascinating research last year, including a study from Wu Tsai Neuro scientists who replicated the brain's pain circuits.

Organoids are bits of neural tissue that model human brain development. Their use in science makes some uneasy, in part because the brain is so closely tied to our sense of self.

Neuroscience experts convened in Asilomar to talk through guidelines around ethical research on human neural organoids

Lab-grown “reductionist replicas” of the human brain are helping scientists understand fetal development and cognitive disorders, including autism. But ethical questions loom.

Scientists and ethicists including Wu Tsai Neuro affiliates Sergiu Pașca and Hank Greely argued for an international process to address the ethical and social questions raised by organoids.

An interdisciplinary team of Wu Tsai Neuro scientists working on balls of human neurons called organoids wanted to scale up their efforts and take on important new questions. The solution was all around them.

New research led by Wu Tsai Neuro affiliate Sergiu Pasca on Timothy syndrome may have implications beyond the rare genetic disorder — including conditions like schizophrenia. Supported by the Wu Tsai Neuro Big Ideas in Neuroscience grant program.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research awards Sergiu P. Paşca the 2024 ISSCR Momentum Award for his achievements in neurodevelopment and disease.

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute advances its ambitious “Big Ideas” Initiatives to the next level

In separate studies, researchers compared gene regulation related to brain and face development in humans and chimpanzees using a new technique. In both cases, they discovered new genetic differences between these species.

A Stanford Medicine team used human stem cells to assemble a working nerve circuit connecting brain tissue to muscle tissue. The research could enable scientists to better understand neurological disorders that affect movement.

A common genetic deletion boosts the risk for schizophrenia by 30-fold. Generating nerve cells from people with the deletion has showed Stanford researchers why.

Studying human oligodendrocytes, which provide insulation for nerve cells, has been challenging. But a new way of generating stem-cell-derived, three-dimensional brain-cell cultures is paying off.