Growing human neurons in the lab can be a time-consuming process. Some cortical cells take years to reach maturity - many times slower than the equivalent cells in a mouse. Researchers have been exploring some of the mechanisms that could be behind these very different timescales of growth - and have found a kind of epigenetic ‘braking’ effect that slows maturation. Manipulating this ‘brake’ could allow scientists to speed up the study of older brain cells in a dish.

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