Generation and characterization of cortical organoids from iPSC-derived dental pulp stem cells using traditional and innovative approaches.

Cortical organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represent a powerful in vitro experimental system to investigate human brain development and disease, often inaccessible to direct experimentation. However, despite steady progress in organoid technology, several limitations remain, including high cost and variability, use of hiPSCs derived from tissues harvested invasively, unexplored three-dimensional (3D) structural features and neuronal connectivity. Here, using a cost-effective and reproducible protocol as well as conventional two-dimensional (2D) immunostaining, we show that cortical organoids generated from hiPSCs obtained by reprogramming stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) recapitulate key aspects of human corticogenesis, such as polarized organization of neural progenitor zones with the presence of outer radial glial stem cells, and differentiation of superficial- and deep-layer cortical neurons and glial cells.

The Importance of Large-Scale Genomic Studies to Unravel Genetic Risk Factors for Autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common and highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder. During the last 15 years, advances in genomic technologies and the availability of increasingly large patient cohorts have greatly expanded our knowledge of the genetic architecture of ASD and its neurobiological mechanisms. Over two hundred risk regions and genes carrying rare de novo and transmitted high-impact variants have been identified.