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A cerebral organoid describes artificially grown, in vitro, miniature organs resembling the brain. Cerebral organoids are created by culturing human pluripotent stem cells in a three-dimensional rotational bioreactor and develop over a course of months. The human brain is an extremely complex system of heterogeneous tissues and consists of an extremely diverse array of neurons. This complexity has made studying the brain and understanding how it works a difficult task in neuroscience, especially when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of creating an in vitro neurological model is to study these diseases in a more simple and variable space; free of in vivo limitations, especially when working with humans. The varying physiology between human and other mammalian models limits the scope of study in neurological disorders. Cerebral organoids are synthesized tissues that contain several types of nerve cells and have anatomical features that resemble mammalian brains. Cerebral organoids are most similar to layers of neurons called the cortex and choroid plexus. In some cases, structures similar to the retina, meninges and hippocampus can form.〔 Stem cells have the potential to grow into many different types of tissues and their fate is dependent on many factors. Below is an image showing some of the chemical factors that can lead stem cells to differentiate into various neural tissues. Similar techniques are used on stem cells used to grow cerebral organoids.〔 ==Model Development== Using human pluripotent stem cells to create ''in vitro'' cerebral organoids allows researchers to summarize current developmental mechanisms for human neural tissue as well as study the roots of human neurological diseases. Cerebral organoids are an investigative tool, used to understand how disease pathology works. These organoids can be used in experiments that current ''in vitro'' methods are too simple for, while also being more human applicable than rodent or other mammalian models. Historically, major breakthroughs in how the brain works have resulted from injury or disorder in human brain function, leading to understanding of how regions of the brain work. An ''in vitro'' human brain model would allow for the next wave in understanding of the human brain.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「cerebral organoid」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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