Tufts model shows biochemical & electrophysiological
responses; research offers new options for study of brain function, disease and
trauma
The human brain remains one of the least understood organs
in the human body, because of its complexity and the difficulty of studying its
physiology in the living body. Tufts
University researchers today announced development of the first reported
complex three-dimensional model made of brain-like cortical tissue that
exhibits biochemical and electrophysiological responses and can function in the
laboratory for months. The engineered
tissue model offers new options for studying brain function, disease and
trauma, and treatment. The National
Institutes of Health funded research is reported in the August 11 Early Edition
of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.