Comprehensive cell atlas of the first-trimester developing human brain

Science. 2023 Oct 13;382(6667):eadf1226. doi: 10.1126/science.adf1226. Epub 2023 Oct 13.

Abstract

The adult human brain comprises more than a thousand distinct neuronal and glial cell types, a diversity that emerges during early brain development. To reveal the precise sequence of events during early brain development, we used single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics and uncovered cell states and trajectories in human brains at 5 to 14 postconceptional weeks (pcw). We identified 12 major classes that are organized as ~600 distinct cell states, which map to precise spatial anatomical domains at 5 pcw. We described detailed differentiation trajectories of the human forebrain and midbrain and found a large number of region-specific glioblasts that mature into distinct pre-astrocytes and pre-oligodendrocyte precursor cells. Our findings reveal the establishment of cell types during the first trimester of human brain development.

MeSH terms

  • Astrocytes / cytology
  • Atlases as Topic
  • Brain* / cytology
  • Brain* / embryology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Neurogenesis*
  • Neuroglia
  • Neurons / cytology
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Trimester, First*
  • Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis