Scientists find differences between human and mouse brain cells

Research neurologists have identified 75 cell types that exist in the cortex of both the human and mouse brain, and for obvious reasons, mice brains are more amenable to study.  But while the brain cell types of these two species correspond, there are significant differences in where and how the genes are expressed.  “One major divergence emerged from the serotonin receptors. These are proteins that allow neurons to work with the neurotransmitter serotonin, and they are known to be involved in depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. While the receptors are expressed in both humans and mice, their respective genes are expressed in different kinds of cells, “which should put a certain amount of doubt into the use of the mouse as a model organism to study things that affect serotonin signaling,”  Human brain organoids, in this case, may be the solution. MORE

Image Credit:  Allen Institute for Brain Science and FierceBiotech.com