Gerber L-S, van Melis LVJ, van Kleef RGDM, de Groot A, and Westerink RHS.
Current Protocols, 2021
Scientists explore the advantages of MEA for assessing neurotoxicity and describe detailed steps for preparing, processing, and analyzing experiments using MEA recordings
Understanding the impact of toxic substances on the human nervous system is an important area of research but traditional in vivo and in vitro studies can be expensive, time-consuming, and limited in their ability to identify and characterize potential hazards. In this study, scientists provide a detailed description of how multielectrode array (MEA) recordings using rat primary cortical cells overcome the challenges of other methods and provide a robust platform for screening chemicals, drug candidates, and environmental pollutants for neurotoxic effects.
Using Axion’s Maestro multiwell microelectrode array (MEA) system, researchers explored experimental scenarios analogous to acute, subchronic, and chronic/developmental exposures to neurotoxins. According to the authors, assessing neural networks using sensitive, noninvasive MEA technology offers many benefits, including the ability to cover the entire network-specific functionality, perform simultaneous recordings of extracellular field potentials over a long period of time, assess changes from test compounds on several levels of neuronal function and at multiple timepoints, and test multiple compounds and concentrations in one experiment.
