How does a developing brain decide which kinds of cells to make?

Close up of powerful microscope looking at slide sample
By Neuroscience Research Theme
1 min read

How does a developing brain decide which kinds of cells to make? A study from Dr. Aparna Bhaduri and Dr. Heather Christofk’s labs at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that metabolism may help guide that process. 

Using developing human brain tissue and lab-grown brain models, researchers found that changing glucose availability shifted which types of brain cells formed. Fluorescently labeled cells in the brain models under different glucose conditions helped researchers see how the mix of developing cell types changed. 

Read the entire paper: Metabolic atlas of early human cortex reveals glycolytic remodeling and pentose phosphate pathway control of cell fate transitions