A Glial‐Silicon Nanowire Electrode Junction Enabling Differentiation and Noninvasive Recording of Slow Oscillations from Primary Astrocytes
Abstract
The correct human brain function is dependent on the activity of non‐neuronal cells called astrocytes. The bioelectrical properties of astrocytes in vitro do not closely resemble those displayed in vivo and the former are incapable of generating action potential; thus, reliable approaches in vitro for noninvasive electrophysiological recording of astrocytes remain challenging for biomedical engineering. Here it is found that primary astrocytes grown on a device formed by a forest of randomly oriented gold coated‐silicon nanowires, resembling the complex structural and functional phenotype expressed by astrocytes in vivo. The device enables noninvasive extracellular recording of the slow‐frequency oscillations generated by differentiated astrocytes, while flat electrodes failed on recording signals from undifferentiated cells. Pathophysiological concentrations of extracellular potassium, occurring during epilepsy and spreading depression, modulate the power of slow oscillations generated by astrocytes. A reliable approach to study the role of astrocytes function in brain physiology and pathologies is presented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 18, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1002/adbi.201900264
Entities
People
- Ana Isabel Borrachero‐conejo
- Annalisa Convertino
- Davide Polese
- Emanuela Saracino
- Francesco Formaggio
- Francesco Valle
- Guglielmo Fortunato
- Jacopo Gasparetto
- Lorenzo Tomasi
- Luca Maiolo
- Luca Pazzini
- Luigi Ambrosio
- M. Semprini
- Marco Caprini
- Margherita Sola
- Michela Chiappalone
- Michele Muccini
- Roberto Zamboni
- Saber Hussain
- Stefano Murtagh
- Valentina Benfenati
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
- University of Bologna