TY - JOUR
T1 - Toward intelligent synthetic neural circuits
T2 - Directing and accelerating neuron cell growth by self-rolled-up silicon nitride microtube array
AU - Froeter, Paul
AU - Huang, Yu
AU - Cangellaris, Olivia V.
AU - Huang, Wen
AU - Dent, Erik W.
AU - Gillette, Martha U.
AU - Williams, Justin C.
AU - Li, Xiuling
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2014/11/25
Y1 - 2014/11/25
N2 - In neural interface platforms, cultures are often carried out on a flat, open, rigid, and opaque substrate, posing challenges to reflecting the native microenvironment of the brain and precise engagement with neurons. Here we present a neuron cell culturing platform that consists of arrays of ordered microtubes (2.7-4.4 μm in diameter), formed by strain-induced self-rolled-up nanomembrane (s-RUM) technology using ultrathin (<40 nm) silicon nitride (SiNx) film on transparent substrates. These microtubes demonstrated robust physical confinement and unprecedented guidance effect toward outgrowth of primary cortical neurons, with a coaxially confined configuration resembling that of myelin sheaths. The dynamic neural growth inside the microtube, evaluated with continuous live-cell imaging, showed a marked increase (20x) of the growth rate inside the microtube compared to regions outside the microtubes. We attribute the dramatic accelerating effect and precise guiding of the microtube array to three-dimensional (3D) adhesion and electrostatic interaction with the SiNx microtubes, respectively. This work has clear implications toward building intelligent synthetic neural circuits by arranging the size, site, and patterns of the microtube array, for potential treatment of neurological disorders.
AB - In neural interface platforms, cultures are often carried out on a flat, open, rigid, and opaque substrate, posing challenges to reflecting the native microenvironment of the brain and precise engagement with neurons. Here we present a neuron cell culturing platform that consists of arrays of ordered microtubes (2.7-4.4 μm in diameter), formed by strain-induced self-rolled-up nanomembrane (s-RUM) technology using ultrathin (<40 nm) silicon nitride (SiNx) film on transparent substrates. These microtubes demonstrated robust physical confinement and unprecedented guidance effect toward outgrowth of primary cortical neurons, with a coaxially confined configuration resembling that of myelin sheaths. The dynamic neural growth inside the microtube, evaluated with continuous live-cell imaging, showed a marked increase (20x) of the growth rate inside the microtube compared to regions outside the microtubes. We attribute the dramatic accelerating effect and precise guiding of the microtube array to three-dimensional (3D) adhesion and electrostatic interaction with the SiNx microtubes, respectively. This work has clear implications toward building intelligent synthetic neural circuits by arranging the size, site, and patterns of the microtube array, for potential treatment of neurological disorders.
KW - Axon guidance
KW - Neural culture
KW - Neural-electrode interface
KW - Pathfinding
KW - Silicon nitride nanomembrane
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84912544720&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84912544720&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/nn504876y
DO - 10.1021/nn504876y
M3 - Article
C2 - 25329686
AN - SCOPUS:84912544720
SN - 1936-0851
VL - 8
SP - 11108
EP - 11117
JO - ACS Nano
JF - ACS Nano
IS - 11
ER -