Subcellular electrical stimulation of neurons enhances the myelination of axons by oligodendrocytes.

ABSTRACT: Myelin formation has been identified as a modulator of neural plasticity. New tools are required to investigate the mechanisms by which environmental inputs and neural activity regulate myelination patterns. In this study, we demonstrate a microfluidic compartmentalized culture system with integrated electrical stimulation capabilities that can induce neural activity by whole cell and focal stimulation. A set of electric field simulations was performed to confirm spatial restriction of the electrical input in the compartmentalized culture system. We further demonstrate that electrode localization is a key consideration for generating uniform the stimulation of neuron and oligodendrocytes within the compartments. Using three configurations of the electrodes we tested the effects of subcellu

SUBMITTER: Lee HU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5495216 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature