A Human Hippocampal Organoid Model with Sustained Neural Stem Cells Reveals State Shifts Under Glucocorticoid Stress
The human hippocampus is a critical brain region for learning, memory, and stress regulation, distinguished by its ability to sustain neurogenesis after birth. This plasticity is driven by hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs), which generate new neurons and maintain circuit integrity, but are highly sensitive to environmental and pathological influences. Mechanistic insight into human hippocampal development and neurogenesis remains limited by the absence of physiologically relevant models. Here, we establish an optimized protocol to generate human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hippocampal organoids that recapitulate key features of hippocampal development. These organoids maintain organized NSC niches, support ongoing neurogenesis, and generate hippocampus-specific cell types. Cellular, transcriptomic, and electrophysiological analyses confirm progressive neuronal maturation, synapse formation, and functional activity, highlighting the physiological relevance of the system. Using this model, we modeled excess prenatal glucocorticoid exposure with dexamethasone, which perturbed NSC dynamics by reducing proliferation and inducing a precocious quiescent-like state. RNA sequencing revealed downregulation of NSC activation genes and upregulation of quiescence- and autophagy-associated programs, suggesting that glucocorticoid signaling enforces an early transition toward quiescence. These findings reveal a mechanism by which excessive glucocorticoid exposure may impair hippocampal growth. Together, this study introduces a robust human hippocampal organoid platform for dissecting the regulation of hippocampal development and for modeling the impact of environmental stressors on human neurogenesis.