Sergiu P. Paşca

TL;DR: A simple and reproducible 3D culture approach for generating a laminated cerebral cortex–like structure, named human cortical spheroids (hCSs), from pluripotent stem cells, which demonstrate that cortical neurons participate in network activity and produce complex synaptic events.

TL;DR: Three-dimensional spheroids from human pluripotent stem cells that resemble either the dorsal or ventral forebrain and contain cortical glutamatergic or GABAergic neurons are generated and it is found that in Timothy syndrome—a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the CaV1.2 calcium channel—interneurons display abnormal migratory saltations.

TL;DR: This work uses Cre recombination–based AAV targeted evolution (CREATE) to generate AAV variants that efficiently and widely transduce the adult mouse central nervous system (CNS) after intravenous injection and demonstrates the potential of CREATE to produce customized AAV vectors for biomedical applications.

TL;DR: Findings provide strong evidence that Cav1.2 regulates the differentiation of cortical neurons in humans and offer new insights into the causes of autism in individuals with Timothy syndrome.

TL;DR: It is found that hCS-derived glia closely resemble primary human fetal astrocytes and that, over time in vitro, they transition from a predominantly fetal to an increasingly matureAstrocyte state.