Extracellular Recordings from Patterned Neuronal Networks Using Planar Microelectrode Arrays

Author(s): James, Conrad D., Andrew J. H. Spence, Natalie M. Dowell-Mesfin, Rifat J. Hussain, Karen L. Smith, Harold G. Craighead, Michael S. Isaacson, William Shain, James N. Turner

Journal: IEEE Transactions On Biomedical Engineering (2004) 51(9): 1640-1648.

Abstract:
Neuronal cell networks have been reconstructed on planar microelectrode arrays (MEAs) from dissociated hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Microcontact printing ( µCP) and a photoresist-liftoff method were used to selectively localize poly-L-lysine (PLL) on the surface of MEAs. Haptotaxis led to the organization of the neurons into networks localized adjacent to microelectrodes. Various grids of PLL with 2–25-µm-wide lines spaced by 50–200 µm with 15–25-µm nodes at intersection points were used to guide cell body attachment and neurite outgrowth. Bursting activity with spike amplitude attenuation was observed, and multichannel recordings detected instances of coincident firing activity. Finally, we present here an extracellular recording from a ~ 2µm bundle of guided neurites.