Importance of being Nernst: Synaptic activity and functional relevance in stem cell-derived neurons

Figure 1 Illustration of the sources of derived neurons. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, whereas neural stem cells (NSCs) are derived from several defined niches in the developing or adult brain. Both ESCs and NSCs are capable of neurogenesis without the forced expression of induction factors. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and induced neurons (iNs) can be derived from various tissues, and proceed to neuronal states via either reprogramming to a stem cell phenotype (iPSCs) or direct conversion using neuronal induction factors (iNs).