IN-VITRO 2-D NETWORKS OF NEURONS CHARACTERIZED BY PROCESSING THE SIGNALS RECORDED WITH A PLANAR MICROTRANSDUCER ARRAY

The purpose of this paper is to extensively analyze and utilize the ke y features that characterize the recently available electrophysiologic al technique of growing selected populations of neurons on planar subs trate microelectrode arrays, This experimental configuration is first simulated by modeling the signal transduction operated by an array of microtransducers coupled to a network of Hodgkin-Huxley-like neurons, connected to each other with given levels of synaptic strength, Signal processing tools are then described and validated by identifying the various degrees of connectivity previously introduced into the simulat ed network, Finally, these software tools are utilized to characterize the activity and identify the synaptic connectivity of networks of cu ltured neurons extracted from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of chick embry os and exposed to synapse inhibiting/reinforcing ions, As a result, co rrelations between various regimens of electrophysiological activity a nd synaptic strength are obtained.