Hum Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Miniature "human brains" have been grown in a lab in a feat scientists hope will transform the understanding of neurological disorders.The pea-sized structures reached the same level of development as in a nine-week-old foetus, but are incapable of thought.The study, published in the journal Nature, has already been used to gain insight into rare diseases.Neuroscientists have described the findings as astounding and fascinating.The human brain is one of the most complicated structures in the universe.Scientists at Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have now reproduced some of the earliest stages of the organ's development in the laboratory.They used either embryonic stem cells or adult skin cells to produce the part of an embryo that develops into the brain and spinal cord - the neuroectoderm.This was placed in tiny droplets of gel to give a scaffold for the tissue to grow and was placed into a spinning bioreactor, a nutrient bath that supplies nutrients and oxygen.The cells were able to grow and organise themselves into separate regions of the brain, such as the cerebral cortex, the retina, and, rarely, an early hippocampus, which would be heavily involved in memory in a fully developed adult brain.The researchers are confident that this closely, but far from perfectly, matches brain development in a foetus until the nine week stage.more cyoung1616 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compl3x Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 ...And has probably been more useful than most people who are supposed to have fully formed brains, Arceles and Ian W 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Overlord Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Sounds promising (in the hope that very soon, replacement organs could be grown from the host's own cells, so that transplanting complications can be avoided, for those who are desperately in need.) cyoung1616 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisp Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 If you could transfer consciousness into another brain, you could be immortal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 Good -- I could use a new one. cyoung1616 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dot Matrix Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 If you could transfer consciousness into another brain, you could be immortal. Cylon resurrection? :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arachno 1D Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 The children of Skaro must walk again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted August 30, 2013 Member Share Posted August 30, 2013 Amazing research and I feel it holds great promise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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