Abstract Microfluidic neuro-engineering design rules have been widely explored to create in vitro neural networks with the objective to replicate physiologically relevant structures of the brain. Several neurofluidic strategies have been reported to study the connectivity of neurons, either within a population or between two separated populations, through the control of the directionality of their […]
Abstract Compartmentalized microfluidic chips have demonstrated tremendous potential to create in vitro minimalistic environments for the reproduction of the neural circuitry of the brain. Although the protocol for seeding neural soma in these devices is well known and has been widely used in myriad studies, the accurate control of the number of neurites passing through […]
In vitro modeling of human brain connectomes is key to explore the structure-function relationship of the centralnervous system. The comprehension of this intricate relationship will serve to better study the pathological mechanismsof neurodegeneration, and hence to perform improved drug screenings for complex neurological disorders, such asAlzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. However, currently used in vitro modeling […]
ABSTRACT The central nervous system is a dense, layered, 3D interconnected network of populations of neurons,and thus recapitulating that complexity for in vitro CNS models requires methods that can createdefined topologically-complex neuronal networks. Several three-dimensional patterning approacheshave been developed but none have demonstrated the ability to control the connections betweenpopulations of neurons. Here we report […]
Abstract Axons in the developing nervous system are directed via guidance cues, whose expression varies both spatially and temporally, to create functional neural circuits. Existing methods to create patterns of neural connectivity in vitro use only static geometries, and are unable to dynamically alter the guidance cues imparted on the cells. We introduce the use of AC electrokinetics to […]