斯坦福大学研究人员发现，人脑及多个物种的脑由两个不同来源的原始神经系统数亿年前合并而成2。这一发现挑战了传统的脑发育认识，可能会改变人们对致命疾病的治疗方式1。研究表明前脑和后脑分别由表达OTX2和GBX2基因的两种不同祖细胞发育而来，而不是从同一起源发展2。
研究覆盖了小鼠胚胎、人类细胞、鸡、斑马鱼和橡子虫等多个物种2，两起源脑系统至少在5.5亿年前就已出现2。后脑协调呼吸、睡眠、进食和心跳等基本生命维持过程，而前脑是高级思维的中心2。这一发现有助于解释为何难以在实验室培养人类后脑组织2，并为运动神经元疾病研究提供新方向。研究人员首次成功在培养皿中培养出功能性人类后脑运动神经元2。GLP-1药物（如Ozempic和Wegovy）通过作用于后脑来抑制食欲2。相关研究发表在《Nature Neuroscience》上2。
Scientists at Stanford University have discovered that the human brain—along with the brains of multiple other species—developed from two separate primitive nervous systems that merged hundreds of millions of years ago. 2 The research challenges the traditional understanding of brain development and reveals that the forebrain and hindbrain arise from two distinct ancestral cell types, rather than a single origin. 2 Specifically, the forebrain develops from cells expressing the OTX2 gene, while the hindbrain develops from cells expressing the GBX2 gene. 2 This dual-origin system has existed for at least 550 million years. 2
The research examined mouse embryos, human cells, chickens, zebrafish, and roundworms. 2 Researchers successfully cultured functional human hindbrain motor neurons in vitro for the first time. 2 The hindbrain coordinates essential life-sustaining processes including breathing, sleep, eating, and heartbeat, 2 while the forebrain serves as the center for higher-order thinking. 2
The findings have significant implications for understanding brain function and disease treatment. The dual-origin discovery explains why it has been difficult to cultivate human hindbrain tissue in laboratory settings and opens new research directions for motor neuron diseases. 2 Additionally, the study provides insights into how GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy suppress appetite by acting on the hindbrain. 2
The study was published in Nature Neuroscience. 2
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