Gehirngewebe wurde aus Urinproben neurotypischer Personen und Personen mit unterschiedlichen Autismusprofilen gezüchtet. Gehirnorganoide von Menschen mit idiopathischem Autismus zeigten tendenziell eine verminderte elektrische Aktivität. Die meisten Organoide von Patienten mit syndromischem Autismus lieferten Hinweise auf Hyperaktivität.
Lab-grown brain models reveal unique electrical patterns in different types of autism
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Lab-grown brain models reveal unique electrical patterns in different types of autism
A new study published in Translational Psychiatry suggests that miniature, lab-grown brain models can reveal distinct electrical activity patterns in different types of autism. **By analyzing brain tissues grown from patient urine samples, scientists provide evidence that these models can accurately distinguish between neurotypical individuals and those with various autism profiles**. These findings tend to offer a new way to understand the biological roots of autism and test personalized treatments.
The scientists found distinct differences in the electrical activity of organoids derived from autistic individuals compared to the control group. The organoids from the four neurotypical controls displayed highly consistent electrical patterns. They clustered closely together in the data analysis, showing low variability.
**The organoids from the individual with idiopathic autism tended to exhibit reduced electrical activity**. These samples showed significantly lower firing rates and fewer bursts of activity than the control samples.
**Most organoids derived from patients with syndromic autism provided evidence of hyperactivity**. For example, the samples linked to STXBP1, PPP2R5D, and GRIN2B mutations demonstrated significantly increased firing rates. The SCN2A samples showed mixed firing rates but had noticeably reduced electrical signal amplitudes compared to controls.
For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-026-03890-1
The split between reduced activity in idiopathic cases and hyperactivity in several syndromic cases is interesting because it argues against one shared electrophysiology pattern. That makes me wonder how much of this is mutation specific versus a broader developmental signal that only looks similar at the behavioral level.
I’m not sure what’s more impressive, the findings, or the fact that it’s even possible to grow brain tissue from urine samples.
Wouldn’t growing tissue from a waste product imply that what it is you’re cultivating is something the body is rejecting?
Now I know why those guy are always putting a bucket to collect samples in the sewers.