Investigating the reliability of the evoked response in human iPSCs-derived neuronal networks coupled to micro-electrode arrays

Abstract

In vitro models of neuronal networks have emerged as a potent instrument for gaining deeper insights into the intricate mechanisms governing the human brain. Notably, the integration of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with micro-electrode arrays offers a means to replicate and dissect both the structural and functional elements of the human brain within a controlled in vitro environment. Given that neuronal communication relies on the emission of electrical (and chemical) stimuli, the employment of electrical stimulation stands as a mean to comprehensively interrogate neuronal assemblies, to better understand their inherent electrophysiological dynamics. However, the establishment of standardized stimulation protocols for cultures derived from hiPSCs is still lacking, thereby hindering the precise delineation of efficacious parameters to elicit responses. To fill this gap, the primary objective of this study resides in delineating effective parameters for the electrical stimulation of hiPSCs-derived neuronal networks, encompassing the determination of voltage amplitude and stimulation frequency able to evoke reliable and stable responses. This study represents a stepping-stone in the exploration of efficacious stimulation parameters, thus broadening the electrophysiological activity profiling of neural networks sourced from human-induced pluripotent stem cells.

Electrical and chemical modulation of homogeneous and heterogeneous human-iPSCs-derived neuronal networks on high density arrays

“…By capitalizing on our ( Parodi et al, 2023 ; Zanini et al, 2023 ) and others’ ( Mossink et al, 2021a ; Wang et al, 2023 ) previous works and by exploiting the recent advances in MEA technology, which now rely also on high density arrays ( Amin et al, 2016 ; Ronchi et al, 2021 ), we here performed a step forward to provide the scientific community with a human-based in vitro system that holds significant potential for investigating a wide spectrum of physiological and pathological conditions.…”