Abstract: The human embryonic stem cells(hESCs) are derived from preimplantation human in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos. hESCs exhibit unique pluripotency, plasticity, unlimited capacity for self-renewal, and the ability to produce a huge number of different types of cells in vitro, so that the hESCs will open up a new way for basic research and regenerative medicine. So far, we have been able to use a variety of methods to establish and expend these cells lines, and differentiate them into specific cell lines as well. This review introduces various strategies for isolation, culture and differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into specific cell lines; then we focus on the functions of the hESC-derived neural cells in vitro study from a series of aspects: single cell, synaptic transmission and neural circuit; finally, we briefly discuss the challengesin hESCs study and its future direction. The paper aims to describe the functions of hESC from different perspectives and provide readers with the latest research progress.

Key words: 人类胚胎干细胞, 功能, 培养, 分化, 神经回路