Pharmacological characterization of cultivated neuronal networks: relevance to synaptogenesis and synaptic connectivity.

ABSTRACT: Mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease, are associated with impaired synaptogenesis and/or synaptic communication. During development, neurons assemble into neuronal networks, the primary supracellular mediators of information processing. In addition to the orchestrated activation of genetic programs, spontaneous electrical activity and associated calcium signaling have been shown to be critically involved in the maturation of such neuronal networks. We established an in vitro model that recapitulates the maturation of neuronal networks, including spontaneous electrical activity. Upon plating, mouse primary hippocampal neurons grow neurites and interconnect via synapses to form a dish-wide neuronal network. Via live cell calcium imaging, we identified a limited peri

SUBMITTER: Verstraelen P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11488889 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature