Scientists Grow, Link Up Brain Cells for First Time in a Lab While most differentiated cells can be made to live on their own, simply converting stem cells into neurons will not get you far. Brain cells need synaptic connections in order to exhibit their physiology, so researchers at the Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch of National Institutes of Health have been working at making that happen in a laboratory environment. The team managed to connect two different types of human pluripotent stem cell derived neurons that exhibited normal function.The team used a so called �ibidi wound healing dish� to connect mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons to neocortical brain cells. This was done by first growing the two types of cells in separate compartments within the dish. Once sufficient sized colonies of each cell type were formed, the door between the two chambers was opened and the cells allowed to interact. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor was added to the mix to help continue cellular differentiation. What the team discovered was that the initially formed cells generally stayed where they are while tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive projections, that link up neural cells, formed within the gap between the separate chambers.The researchers now hope this approach will help scientists study brain function, neural connectivity, and how these factors influence the causes and progression of different neurological diseases.Study in journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience: A new technique for modeling neuronal connectivity using human pluripotent stem cells�Source: IOS Press�