Importantly, cross species analyses could be conducted using human iPS cell model as well as animal models. An example to illustrate this point comes from a study performed in adult rodent models where a downregulation of the GABRA1 gene was observed in response to alcohol exposure (Leslie L. Devaud, Smith, Grayson, & Morrow, 1995; Kumar et al., 2009; Mhatre & Ticku, 1992). Conversely, an increase in expression of GABRA1 was seen in a human neural cell model, following alcohol administration (Lieberman et al., 2017). This raises the question: Does an animal (rodent) model sufficiently mimic all aspects of human disease? Animal models of brain disorders birthed our general understanding of brain illnesses, but the belief is they don’t accurately recapitulate human neuropathologies. Furthermore, post-mortem brain tissue mainly mimics the end-stage of a neurological disease or disorder, and functional physiological analysis (electrophysiology) cannot be performed on these neurons. Ultimately, iPS cell technology has the potential to become a cell-replacement therapy for many neurological diseases that currently have no cure; however there remains risk of generating several unanticipated outcomes in human application (i.e. tumor formation).
