Aparna Bhaduri

Stories

Glucose and neural touch guide the stem cells that build the human brain

As of September 2026: Member of UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

Two UCLA studies published September 4 identify how the stem cells that build the human brain take their cues. Radial glia, which produce most of the cerebral cortex, change what they make based on glucose metabolism and physical contact with signals from the thalamus.

Updated Sep 7

Notable Quotes

Ultimately, these studies give us a glimpse under the hood of how these cells make decisions. Understanding those decisions is a first step toward understanding normal brain development, disease vulnerability and, potentially, how similar stem-cell programs operate in brain cancer.

from Glucose and neural touch guide the stem cells that build the human brain · Updated Sep 7

What was surprising is that metabolism isn't just a passive thing that happens in the background. It can really control how stem cells make decisions.

from Glucose and neural touch guide the stem cells that build the human brain · Updated Sep 7