Letter

Engineering Highly Interconnected Neuronal Networks on Nanowire Scaffolds

Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, §Laboratory of Advanced Biomaterials, Research School of Engineering, Australian National Fabrication Facility, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Nano Lett., Article ASAP
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b05288
Publication Date (Web): April 24, 2017
Copyright © 2017 American Chemical Society

Abstract

Abstract Image

Identifying the specific role of physical guidance cues in the growth of neurons is crucial for understanding the fundamental biology of brain development and for designing scaffolds for tissue engineering. Here, we investigate the structural significance of nanoscale topographies as physical cues for neurite outgrowth and circuit formation by growing neurons on semiconductor nanowires. We monitored neurite growth using optical and scanning electron microscopy and evaluated the spontaneous neuronal network activity using functional calcium imaging. We show, for the first time, that an isotropic arrangement of indium phosphide (InP) nanowires can serve as physical cues for guiding neurite growth and aid in forming a network with neighboring neurons. Most importantly, we confirm that multiple neurons, with neurites guided by the topography of the InP nanowire scaffolds, exhibit synchronized calcium activity, implying intercellular communications via synaptic connections. Our study imparts new fundamental insights on the role of nanotopographical cues in the formation of functional neuronal circuits in the brain and will therefore advance the development of neuroprosthetic scaffolds.

Supporting Information


The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b05288.

  • Details of experimental procedures and supplementary results (PDF)

  • Movie 1 (AVI)

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Received 20 December 2016
Published online 24 April 2017
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