Human neurons implanted in mouse skull learn to control the mouse body (Nature)

BorisMPower · x · 2026-09-17

A Nature study from Sergiu Pasca's lab (with Karl Deisseroth) removed most of a mouse's cortex before birth and filled the skull with human stem-cell-derived organoids. The human neurons integrated with the mouse brain — a "developmental xenocortication" — and the mice walked, learned, and formed memories, with human neurons effectively learning to control the mouse body. The model offers a living platform for studying human brain development and disease, and raises ethical questions.

Related event: Stanford team grows human cortical organoids covering ~92% of mouse cortex in Nature study(13 posts)→

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