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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Generation of Standardized and Reproducible Forebrain-type Cerebral Organoids from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: January 23, 2018
Human neural organoid microphysiological systems show the building blocks necessary for basic learning and memory
Dowlette-Mary Alam El Din1,2, Leah Moenkemoeller1, Alon Loeffler3
1Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Brain Microphysiological Systems, including neural organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, offer a unique lens to study the intricate workings of the human brain. This paper investigates the foundational elements of learning and memory in neural organoids by quantifying immediate early gene expression in response to chemical modulation, input-specific short- and long-term synaptic plasticity, neuronal network dynamics, connectivity, and criticality to demonstrate the utility of these organoids in basic science research. Neural organoids showed synapse formation, glutamatergic and GABAergic receptor expression, immediate early gene expression basally and evoked, functional connectivity, criticality, and synaptic plasticity in response to theta-burst stimulation. In addition, pharmacological interventions on GABAergic and glutamatergic receptors and input-specific theta-burst stimulation further shed light on the capacity of neural organoids to mirror synaptic modulation, specifically short- and long-term potentiation and depression, demonstrating their potential as tools for studying neurophysiological and neurological processes and informing therapeutic strategies for diseases.
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