科研人员证明了来自人类胚胎干细胞（hESCs）的神经元可以在活小鼠的大脑中功能整合起来，这是朝着成功的神经疾病细胞移植疗法迈出的关键一步。已知移植来自于干细胞的神经元可以缓解动物模型的神经退化的体征，但是一直缺乏这些细胞完整地整合到大脑网络中的证据。研究者使用专门被光激活的来自人类胚胎干细胞（hESCs）的神经元研究了在实验室实验以及在小鼠大脑中的移植的人类细胞整合到小鼠神经元的能力。
这组作者把这些人类细胞与小鼠神经元细胞共同培养，显示出了同步的“冲动”活动。尽管来自人类胚胎干细胞（hESCs）的神经元通常并不显示出这种行为，这些人类细胞逐渐在与小鼠神经元的生长过程中出现了冲动活动。此外，用光刺激这些人类神经元能引发小鼠神经元的冲动行为，这表明了人类与小鼠神经元的互动。
光刺激也引发了移植来自人类胚胎干细胞（hESCs）的神经元的小鼠大脑切片的小鼠神经元的响应，这提示移植的神经元可以通过功能整合参与到神经元网络并且控制神经元网络的活动。这组作者说，这些发现可能证明对于帕金森病、阿兹海默病、中风和癫痫的疗法有用。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1073/pnas.1108487108
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Human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons adopt and regulate the activity of an established neural network
Jason P. Weick, Yan Liu, and Su-Chun Zhang
Whether hESC-derived neurons can fully integrate with and functionally regulate an existing neural network remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that hESC-derived neurons receive unitary postsynaptic currents both in vitro and in vivo and adopt the rhythmic firing behavior of mouse cortical networks via synaptic integration. Optical stimulation of hESC-derived neurons expressing Channelrhodopsin-2 elicited both inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic currents and triggered network bursting in mouse neurons. Furthermore, light stimulation of hESC-derived neurons transplanted to the hippocampus of adult mice triggered postsynaptic currents in host pyramidal neurons in acute slice preparations. Thus, hESC-derived neurons can participate in and modulate neural network activity through functional synaptic integration, suggesting they are capable of contributing to neural network information processing both in vitro and in vivo.
