A study of neuronal cell migration induced by electrical stimulation on microelectrode arrys

Abstract

A variety of methods have been employed to control neuronal migration in neural networks. Recently, we found that electrical stimulation can induce neuronal cell migration in neural networks cultured for more than three weeks on microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Irnmunocytochemistry data showed that the aggregation of neurons was related to the emergence of glia in culture. In this study, when co-cultured with glia, we could induce neuronal migration at one week in culture by electrical stimulation while the same condition of stimulation caused neural necrosis in neuron-only cultures. In addition, the stimulation-induced migration was inhibited by blocking action potential in neural networks using voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, tetrodotoxin (TTX). These results indicate that neuronal cell migration is dependent on neuronal activity evoked by electrical stimulation. Thus, electrical stimulation may provide a useful means for modifying neural networks and improving the interface between electrodes and neurons.