Grey Matters in the Lab: Utilizing Human Brain Tissue for Basic Research, Disease Modeling and Drug Development

Recent evidence indicates that, despite similarities in molecular and gene expression profiles between analogous neurons in the human and rodent neocortex, there are important key species-specific differences in the composition and function of these cells. Recently, drug development for neuropsychiatric conditions has faced a translational block, primarily because, we believe, these specific conditions cannot be accurately modeled in the commonly used rodent organisms. However, the rise of big data and open access databases has improved our understanding of the human brain, but the diversity of methodological approaches can make it difficult to compare and interpret results. In this context, it is very important to know how different experimental conditions affect neuronal function, especially complex network events such as synaptic transmission, neuronal oscillations and the effects of neuromodulators. This is particularly relevant because dysfunction of synaptic transmission and disruption of brain oscillatory activity have been implicated in human neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, neuromodulation in human neuronal networks is not well understood and is likely to be strongly influenced by different experimental systems and recording conditions.

As the use of human brain tissue is rapidly evolving, there is a strong need to collect and share protocols within the broader research community. In this Research Topic, we invite leading research groups to present their protocols and methodological approaches, as well as their preliminary results on acute and cultured human brain slices, and co-cultures of iPSCs and human brain slices. In addition, a comparison of results obtained under different recording conditions would help to identify crucial factors for recording from human neurons. We welcome full review articles, mini-reviews focusing on a specific topic, and original research papers.

Our goal is to showcase different techniques, highlighting their advantages and potential pitfalls, while fostering an open exchange of ideas.

We welcome submissions in the following areas:
- Reports detailing specific methodological protocols designed for applications involving human brain tissue. These may include electrophysiological studies (such as patch-clamp and multi-electrode arrays), morphological studies (including confocal and super-resolution microscopy as well as electron microscopy), single-cell/nucleus transcriptomics etc.
- Papers discussing the evolutionary adaptations of human neurons and delineating the differences between these cells and those of other mammalian species.
- Review articles outlining the benefits of using human brain tissue in drug development.
- Original research articles focusing on cellular and circuit-level findings, such as brain oscillations and neuromodulation using human brain tissue