Dm. Kerkovich et al., Fetal human cortical neurons grown in culture: Morphological differentiation, biochemical correlates and development of electrical activity, INT J DEV N, 17(4), 1999, pp. 347-356
Citations number
28
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE
Cultured fetal human cortical neurons derived from second trimester human f
etal cortex were analyzed with regard to their morphological differentiatio
n and expression of cell-specific markers. The culture method was adapted f
rom standardized protocols originally developed for the isolation and cultu
re of rodent oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. This technique takes advantag
e of the different adhesive properties and stratification of central nervou
s system cells in vitro. Under these culture conditions Fetal human cortica
l neurons underwent morphological differentiation, expressed neuron-specifi
c markers and voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels. Highly enriched cultu
res of microglia and astrocytes generated from the same starting material a
lso expressed cell-type specific markers. These cultures serve as a valuabl
e tool for the establishment of normative data and as experimental models f
or neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative studies. (C) 1999 ISDN. Publish
ed by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.