Japanese researchers make brain tissues from stem cells

Japanese researchers have succeeded in creating a cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in thinking and motion, from embryonic stem cells, providing hope for future treatment of brain-related diseases.

The process using embryonic stem cells, which can change into various other types of cells, was successfully carried out by Yoshiki Sasai and Mototsugu Eiraku, of the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe.

The cortex remained undeveloped, equivalent to that of a fetus, but it's the first time that researchers have ever created brain tissue involving different cell types, rather than single brain cells.

Researchers hope that the process will shed light on the how illnesses like Alzheimer's disease work and how they can be cured, as well as leading to treatments to lessen the aftereffects of strokes.

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