Scientists have created tiny lab-grown brains that are helping us better understand serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
These small brains, about the size of a pea, are made from human cells and are showing scientists how brain cells behave differently in people with these illnesses. This is important because diagnosing mental health conditions is still very difficult.
Right now, doctors usually rely on talking to the patient and trying different medicines to see what works. There is no simple test or scan to confirm what condition someone has.
The new research could help change that. The scientists behind the study believe their findings might one day make it easier to diagnose schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and choose the right medicine more quickly. These findings were published in the journal APL Bioengineering.
To do the study, researchers took skin and blood cells from people who had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and from people without mental illness. They turned these cells into stem cells, which can grow into brain-like tissue.
Over time, these became small “organoids” that work like very simple human brains. These organoids had different kinds of brain cells and could send electrical signals, just like real brains do.
The team then used computer programs to look closely at how these tiny brains sent electrical messages. In a healthy brain, nerve cells talk to each other using quick bursts of electricity.
The researchers found that organoids from people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder had different patterns in their electrical signals. The way the neurons fired was unusual compared to those from healthy people. These unique patterns acted like fingerprints for each mental illness.
In fact, using just the electrical signals, the team could tell which organoids came from people with mental illness 83% of the time. When they gently stimulated the organoids with a small electrical current, accuracy increased to 92%. That means these patterns could become a new tool to help doctors figure out what condition someone might have.
To collect even more detailed information, the organoids were placed on special microchips that have tiny sensors. These chips are like mini EEG machines, which doctors use to check brain activity in real people.
The organoids grew to about three millimeters across and included brain cells found in the part of the brain that controls thinking and decision-making. They also produced myelin, a substance that helps brain signals move faster.
Even though the study used samples from just 12 patients, the results are very promising. The researchers believe that one day, doctors might use organoids like these to test how a person’s brain reacts to different medicines before prescribing anything.
That could prevent the long and difficult process of trying several medications until one works. For example, clozapine is a common drug for schizophrenia, but about 40% of patients do not respond to it. With organoids, doctors might be able to find the right treatment much faster.
The research team is now working with doctors and scientists at Johns Hopkins to collect more blood samples and test more drugs. They hope that these mini brains will give them better tools to treat mental illness in the future.
This study is an important step forward. It shows that brain organoids can be used to understand the biology behind mental illness, tell different conditions apart, and even help personalize treatment. While there is still a long way to go, these tiny lab-grown brains could bring big changes to how we care for mental health.
If you care about depression, please read studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and B vitamins could help prevent depression and anxiety.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies that ultra-processed foods may make you feel depressed, and extra-virgin olive oil could reduce depression symptoms.
The study is published in APL Bioengineering.
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