Alzheimer’s (AD) is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. AD has no cure and is at the forefront of biomedical research today. Glutamatergic neurotransmission, an important process in learning and memory, is severely impaired in patients with AD. Glutamate released at synapses accumulates and becomes toxic, resulting in poor nerve signal transmission. 

We have developed at NETRI a microfluidic device with an asymmetric architecture coupled with high-throughput compatible MultiElectrod Arrays (MEAs) to understand one of the hallmark of AD. These devices allow the creation of a synaptic compartment and neurons functional activity recording.