Self-organization and evolution of structure and function in cultured neuronal networks
Fecha
2023
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Elsevier
Resumen
Cultured neuronal networks (CNNs) have recently achieved major relevance as an alternative to in vivo
models. While many works investigate the evolution of functional connectivity alone, experimental evidence
of the simultaneous change of the structural neuronal network substrate is scarce. In the present study, we
monitored the coevolution of structural and functional connectivities of neuronal cultures grown on top of
microelectrode arrays, in a setup that allows the simultaneous recording of electrophysiological signals and
microphotography detailed to the single-link level. During the observed 3 weeks lifespan, initially isolated
invertebrate neurons form an ex novo complex circuitry of neuronal aggregates characterized by a small-world
topology, with abundant neuronal loops (high clustering) and short distances. At the same time, the observation
of synchronization events among electrodes reaches a maximum, coinciding with the spatial percolation of
the neuronal network. At this stage, the correlation between the structural and the corresponding functional
network is the largest, with around 15% of the physical links relating electrodes that fire synchronously. As
the culture matures, this correlation smoothly declines but becomes more significant. Finally, at the local
level, we found that the electrodes supporting the most coherent activity, the functional hubs, are not hubs in
the physical circuitry but nodes with an average degree. This study demonstrates that functional networks of
self-organized neuronal systems are discreet proxies of the underlying structure. It paves the way for future
investigations to elucidate the intricate relationship between structure and function in other scenarios mediated
by external stimulation.
Descripción
This research was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Project PID2020-113737GB-I00) and by the Rey Juan Carlos University (PREDOC20-036).
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Citación
L.M. Ballesteros-Esteban, I. Leyva, J.A. Almendral, I. Sendiña-Nadal, Self-organization and evolution of structure and function in cultured neuronal networks, Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Volume 173, 2023, 113764, ISSN 0960-0779, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chaos.2023.113764
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