Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks
Axons in the developing nervous system are directed via guidance cues, whose expression varies both spatially and temporally, to create functional neural circuits. Existing methods to create patterns of neural connectivity in vitro use only static geometries, and are unable to dynamically alter the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Royal Society of Chemistry
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91019 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8898-2296 |
| _version_ | 1826211011840966656 |
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| author | Honegger, Thibault Scott, Mark A. Voldman, Joel Yanik, Mehmet Fatih |
| author2 | Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology |
| author_facet | Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Honegger, Thibault Scott, Mark A. Voldman, Joel Yanik, Mehmet Fatih |
| author_sort | Honegger, Thibault |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Axons in the developing nervous system are directed via guidance cues, whose expression varies both spatially and temporally, to create functional neural circuits. Existing methods to create patterns of neural connectivity in vitro use only static geometries, and are unable to dynamically alter the guidance cues imparted on the cells. We introduce the use of AC electrokinetics to dynamically control axonal growth in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We find that the application of modest voltages at frequencies on the order of 10[superscript 5] Hz can cause developing axons to be stopped adjacent to the electrodes while axons away from the electric fields exhibit uninhibited growth. By switching electrodes on or off, we can reversibly inhibit or permit axon passage across the electrodes. Our models suggest that dielectrophoresis is the causative AC electrokinetic effect. We make use of our dynamic control over axon elongation to create an axon-diode via an axon-lock system that consists of a pair of electrode ‘gates’ that either permit or prevent axons from passing through. Finally, we developed a neural circuit consisting of three populations of neurons, separated by three axon-locks to demonstrate the assembly of a functional, engineered neural network. Action potential recordings demonstrate that the AC electrokinetic effect does not harm axons, and Ca[superscript 2+] imaging demonstrated the unidirectional nature of the synaptic connections. AC electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth has potential for creating configurable, directional neural networks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:59:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/91019 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:59:01Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Royal Society of Chemistry |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/910192022-10-01T23:44:20Z Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks Honegger, Thibault Scott, Mark A. Voldman, Joel Yanik, Mehmet Fatih Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Honegger, Thibault Scott, Mark A. Yanik, Mehmet Fatih Voldman, Joel Axons in the developing nervous system are directed via guidance cues, whose expression varies both spatially and temporally, to create functional neural circuits. Existing methods to create patterns of neural connectivity in vitro use only static geometries, and are unable to dynamically alter the guidance cues imparted on the cells. We introduce the use of AC electrokinetics to dynamically control axonal growth in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We find that the application of modest voltages at frequencies on the order of 10[superscript 5] Hz can cause developing axons to be stopped adjacent to the electrodes while axons away from the electric fields exhibit uninhibited growth. By switching electrodes on or off, we can reversibly inhibit or permit axon passage across the electrodes. Our models suggest that dielectrophoresis is the causative AC electrokinetic effect. We make use of our dynamic control over axon elongation to create an axon-diode via an axon-lock system that consists of a pair of electrode ‘gates’ that either permit or prevent axons from passing through. Finally, we developed a neural circuit consisting of three populations of neurons, separated by three axon-locks to demonstrate the assembly of a functional, engineered neural network. Action potential recordings demonstrate that the AC electrokinetic effect does not harm axons, and Ca[superscript 2+] imaging demonstrated the unidirectional nature of the synaptic connections. AC electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth has potential for creating configurable, directional neural networks. National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01 EUREKA Award R01-NS066352) 2014-10-21T14:53:35Z 2014-10-21T14:53:35Z 2013-01 2012-08 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1473-0197 1473-0189 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91019 Honegger, Thibault, Mark A. Scott, Mehmet F. Yanik, and Joel Voldman. “Electrokinetic Confinement of Axonal Growth for Dynamically Configurable Neural Networks.” Lab Chip 13, no. 4 (2013): 589. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8898-2296 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2lc41000a Lab on a Chip Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf Royal Society of Chemistry PMC |
| spellingShingle | Honegger, Thibault Scott, Mark A. Voldman, Joel Yanik, Mehmet Fatih Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| title | Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| title_full | Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| title_fullStr | Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| title_short | Electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| title_sort | electrokinetic confinement of axonal growth for dynamically configurable neural networks |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91019 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8898-2296 |
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