‘Alien-cortical’ mice: Can human brain cells grow inside animals?

In a laboratory in California, in the United States, mice are scurrying around their cages, as mice do. But inside their brains are millions of working human neurons.Researchers at Stanford University have implanted lab-grown human cells into mice genetically engineered to lack parts of their brains, including the cerebral cortex, the outer region that plays a major role in perception, movement, decision-making and attention.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Which countries have sent people to space?list 2 of 3Brazil launches AI supercomputer push while balancing US and Chinese techlist 3 of 3Restoring nature is key to a more resilient futureend of listAccording to a study published in Nature, these so-called “alien-cortical mice” may offer a new way to study neural circuits and brain disorders such as schizophrenia, cerebral palsy and dementia.Putting human brain tissue inside an animal sounds like something out of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but how “human” are these mice, really? And what have the researchers found?Here is what we know.How did the experiment work?Researchers genetically modified the mice so they were born and grew without most of the cerebral cortex...