Why human brain cells grow so slowly

Growing human neurons in the lab can be a time-consuming process. Some cortical cells take years to reach maturity - many times slower than the equivalent cells in a mouse. Researchers have been exploring some of the mechanisms that could be behind these very different timescales of growth - and have found a kind of epigenetic ‘braking’ effect that slows maturation. Manipulating this ‘brake’ could allow scientists to speed up the study of older brain cells in a dish. Read the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06984-8