Microelectrode arrays can be used with several in-vitro preparations in different culture systems. In most cases, single unit activity and/or slow field potentials are recorded in preparations such as dissociated cell cultures (neurons, heart muscle cells) and organotypic or acute tissue slices (brain, spinal cord, retina, etc.).
• Stem cell derived cell/tissue cultures (neurospheres, brain-on-a-chip, … )
• Acute tissue slices (hippocampus, cerebellum, spinal cord, retina, … )
• Dissociated cell cultures (neurons, heart muscle cells, … )
• Organotypic tissue cultures (hippocampus, cortex, spinal cord, … ) and co-cultures
Most electrophysiology monitoring experiments address questions in the following fields of study:
• Functional screening in drug discovery
• Toxicity and safety pharmacology
• Synaptic plasticity
• Neural development
• Regeneration
• Biological rhythms
• Network oscillators
Air-liquid interface cultures
e.g. HiPSC neurosphere on porous MEA
Acute tissue slice preparations
e.g. rat hippocampus slice on 3D MEA
Dissociated cell cultures
e.g. confluent layer of cardiomyocytes
Organotypic cultures
e.g. rat spinal cord tissue slice