The mechanics of human brain organoids

Organoids are prototypes of human organs derived from cultured human stem cells. They provide a reliable and accurate experimental model to study the physical mechanisms underlying the early developmental stages of human organs and, in particular, the early morphogenesis of the cortex. Here we propose a mathematical model to elucidate the role played by two mechanisms which have been experimentally proven to be crucial in shaping human brain organoids: the contraction of the inner core of the organoid and the microstructural remodeling of its outer cortex. Our results show that both mechanisms are crucial for the final shape of the organoid and that perturbing those mechanisms can lead to pathological morphologies which are reminiscent of those associated with lissencephaly (smooth brain).