What makes the human brain special: from cellular function to clinical translation

Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 134, pp. 1197–1213

Abstract

What makes the human brain special? Human neurons, glia cells, and cortical circuits have been shown to be significantly different from those of other species, including mammals. This has led to a massive effort by the neuroscience community to directly study these differences in a multimodal approach. The studies conducted include single-cell and network recordings of human tissue samples, single-cell transcriptomics, and morphological analysis of the distinct cells to better understand the underlying differences from the cellular to the systems level. Furthermore, to overcome the translational gap from animal studies to patient care, the development of disease modeling in human tissue samples is of utmost interest. Here, we review and highlight research that focuses on the specialization of the human brain from molecular expression, cellular properties, to the challenges and promises of clinical translation.

Authors 11

1. Karen M. J. van Loo Aachen Department of Neurology, Epileptology

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   University Hospital RWTH

   Department of Neurology, Epileptology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany

2. Aniella Bak Aachen Department of Neurology, Epileptology

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   University Hospital RWTH

   Department of Neurology, Epileptology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany

3. Rebecca D. Hodge

   Allen Institute for Brain Science

   Affiliation as printed

   Allen Institute for Brain Science

   Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA

4. Francesco Bedogni

   Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation · National Research Council · Cardiff University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cardiff University

   National Research Council of Italy

   Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council of Italy, Palermo, Italy

   Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

5. Julian S.B. Ramirez

   University of Minnesota · University of Washington · Seattle Children's Research Institute

   Affiliation as printed

   Seattle Children’s Research Institute

   University of Minnesota

   University of Washington School of Medicine

   Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States

6. Steve Emerson

   University of Washington · Norcliffe Foundation · Seattle Children's Research Institute

   Affiliation as printed

   Seattle Children’s Research Institute

   University of Washington School of Medicine

   Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle WA 98101

   Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA

7. Anke Höllig Aachen Department of Neurosurgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   University Hospital RWTH

   Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany

8. Huibert D. Mansvelder Aachen Department of Neurosurgery

   Amsterdam Neuroscience · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Neuroscience Amsterdam, VU University

   University Hospital RWTH

   Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam

   Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany

9. Natalia A. Goriounova

   Amsterdam Neuroscience · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Neuroscience Amsterdam, VU University

   Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam

10. Jan‐Marino Ramirez

    University of Minnesota · University of Washington · Norcliffe Foundation · Seattle Children's Research Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Seattle Children’s Research Institute

    University of Minnesota

    University of Washington School of Medicine

    Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle WA 98101

    Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA

11. Henner Koch corresponding Aachen Department of Neurology, Epileptology

    Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    University Hospital RWTH

    Department of Neurology, Epileptology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany