Nature Methods
- 5, 735 - 740 (2008)
Published online: 20 July 2008; | doi:10.1038/nmeth.1236
Colloid-guided assembly of oriented 3D neuronal networksSophie Pautot1, 2, Claire Wyart1 & Ehud Y Isacoff11
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Life Science Addition 271, Mail Code 3200, University of California, Berkeley, and Physical Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. 2
Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Tatzberg 47/49, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
Correspondence should be addressed to Ehud Y Isacoff ehud@berkeley.edu A central challenge in neuroscience is to understand the formation and function of three-dimensional (3D) neuronal networks. In vitro studies have been mainly limited to measurements of small numbers of neurons connected in two dimensions. Here we demonstrate the use of colloids as moveable supports for neuronal growth, maturation, transfection and manipulation, where the colloids serve as guides for the assembly of controlled 3D, millimeter-sized neuronal networks. Process growth can be guided into layered connectivity with a density similar to what is found in vivo. The colloidal superstructures are optically transparent, enabling remote stimulation and recording of neuronal activity using layer-specific expression of light-activated channels and indicator dyes. The modular approach toward in vitro circuit construction provides a stepping stone for applications ranging from basic neuroscience to neuron-based screening of targeted drugs.
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