Brain organoids as models of human neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric disorders

Brain organoids, three-dimensional structures derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have emerged as a transformative tool for studying human brain development and disease in vitro. Unlike traditional animal models, organoids recapitulate key features of human corticogenesis, including progenitor zone organization, neuronal migration, and the formation of complex cell-type diversity, offering a species-relevant platform that is otherwise inaccessible in the living human brain.Despite rapid technical progress, significant challenges remain. Organoid models still struggle to reproduce the full maturity of neural circuits, achieve consistent reproducibility across batches and protocols, and incorporate non-neuronal components such as vasculature, microglia, and myelinating oligodendrocytes. These limitations constrain their use in modeling late-stage developmental events and the multifactorial nature of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, where genetic, environmental, and circuit-level factors interact in ways not yet fully captured by current systems.This Research Topic aims to bring together current advances in brain organoid technology and their application to understanding typical and atypical neurodevelopment. We welcome contributions addressing methodological innovations (e.g., organoid fusion assembloids, vascularization strategies, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics), disease modeling using patient-derived or gene-edited organoids, and studies that bridge organoid findings with clinical or population-level data on neuropsychiatric disorders.We invite Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Methods articles covering, but not limited to, the following areas:-Generation and characterization of region-specific or multi-region brain organoids-Modeling neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders using patient-derived iPSCs-Integration of vascular, immune, or glial components into organoid systems-Single-cell/spatial omics approaches to dissect organoid cellular diversity-Electrophysiological and functional maturation of organoid-derived neural circuits-Translational and drug-screening applications of brain organoid models-Ethical and methodological considerations in organoid researchBy consolidating these perspectives, this Research Topic seeks to advance the field toward more physiologically relevant and clinically translatable models of the human brain. Topic editors: Shaunik Sharma, Sreekanth Puttachary, Fatemeh Babaei Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86747/brain-organoids-as-models-of-human-neurodevelopment-and-neuropsychiatric-disorders