Neurons Grown from Stem Cells Form Brain Connections

In the first study demonstrating that stem cells can be coaxed to become specific brain cells and establish functional links in the brain, James M. Weimann, from Stanford Medical School (California, USA), and colleagues grew neurons from embryonic stem cells and implanted them in the brains of lab animals.  The neurons were able to form connections between the cerebral cortex and the spinal cord, prompting the researchers to suggest that:  “[T]hese data establish that [embryonic stem cell]-derived cortical projection neurons can integrate into anatomically relevant circuits.“