Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42628783›Full record

ArticleNeuroscience2026

Corticothalamic assembloids recapitulate human fetal brain morphologies and enhance neuronal complexity.

André Saraiva Leão Marcelo Antunes, Maria Carolina Pedro Athié, Ana Clara Caznok Silveira, Josué Renner, Elayne Vieira Dias, João Victor Ribeiro Dos Santos, Branka Hrvoj-Mihic, Camila Canateli, João Meidanis, Alysson R Muotri and 3 more

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Article in Neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

André Saraiva Leão Marcelo AntunesBrazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil.
Maria Carolina Pedro AthiéBrazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil.
Ana Clara Caznok SilveiraFaculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-970, Brazil.
Josué RennerGraduate Program in Biosciences, Department of Basic Sciences/Physiology, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90050-170, Brazil.
Elayne Vieira DiasBrazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil.
João Victor Ribeiro Dos SantosBrazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil.
Branka Hrvoj-MihicCenter for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington 20052, USA.
Camila CanateliBrazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil.
João MeidanisInstitute of Computing, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-970, Brazil.
Alysson R MuotriDepartment of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA) and Archealization (ArchC), Sanford Stem Cell Education and Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92037, USA. Electronic address: amuotri@health.ucsd.edu.
André Schwambach VieiraDepartment of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-887, Brazil.
Alberto A Rasia-FilhoGraduate Program in Biosciences, Department of Basic Sciences/Physiology, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90050-170, Brazil; Graduate Program in Neurosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90610-264, Brazil. Electronic address: aarf@ufcspa.edu.br.
Simoni Helena AvansiniBrazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil; School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo 13083-887, Brazil. Electronic address: avansini@unicamp.br.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Neuronal morphology governs how neurons connect, integrate, and process information, offering critical insights into the functional architecture of the brain. Characterizing the three-dimensional (3D) morphology of individual neurons is key not only for mapping circuit connectivity but also for understanding the cellular diversity that emerges during development. Neural organoids are valuable models of human brain development and disease, yet their morphological complexity remains poorly characterized despite advances in single-cell transcriptomics. Here, we use 3D confocal imaging and manual reconstruction of 735 neurons to analyze forebrain (dorsal and ventral) and thalamic (dorsal and ventral) organoids, as well as forebrain, thalamic, and corticothalamic assembloids. We find that organoids and assembloids exhibit distinct morphologies resembling fetal brain neurons, including immature pyramidal-like, double-bouquet, and bushy-like neurons. Interregional assembloids show greater neuronal morphological complexity than individual organoids, with more extensive dendritic branching, longer projections, and diverse soma shapes. Corticothalamic assembloids further display features of emerging connectivity. Complementary transcriptomic profiling supports regional identity and reveals expression of genes involved in projection guidance. We observe dendritic spines with excitatory and inhibitory profiles and varicosities, indicative of maturing synaptic architecture. Together, our work makes an initial effort in describing the diversity of neuronal morphology in human neural organoids and assembloids. It further establishes structural phenotyping as a critical dimension for validating human neural models and underscores their value for modeling morphofunctional disorders.

Indexed as

Cerebral CortexNeuronsOrganoidsThalamusFetusHumansImaging, Three-DimensionalNeurodevelopmentAssembloidsCerebral cortexNeural organoidsSingle-neuron morphologyThalamus

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.