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New research shows for the first time that bioelectrical signals among cells control and instruct embryonic brain development, and manipulating these signals can repair genetic defects and induce development of healthy brain tissue in locations where it would not ordinarily grow. A team of researchers found that cells communicate, even across long distances in the embryo, using bioelectrical signals, and they use this information to "know" where to form a brain and how big that brain should be.
Bioelectric signaling involves different cell types, including mature somatic cells and stem cells. Prior work revealed roles for bioelectric gradients in eye, limb and visceral organ patterning, and the new research found that natural embryonic voltage gradients instruct the formation of the brain.Image credit: Courtesy Tufts University
