Physiological maturation and drug responses of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neuronal networks in long-term culture

Sci Rep. 2016 May 18:6:26181. doi: 10.1038/srep26181.

Abstract

The functional network of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons is a potentially powerful in vitro model for evaluating disease mechanisms and drug responses. However, the culture time required for the full functional maturation of individual neurons and networks is uncertain. We investigated the development of spontaneous electrophysiological activity and pharmacological responses for over 1 year in culture using multi-electrode arrays (MEAs). The complete maturation of spontaneous firing, evoked responses, and modulation of activity by glutamatergic and GABAergic receptor antagonists/agonists required 20-30 weeks. At this stage, neural networks also demonstrated epileptiform synchronized burst firing (SBF) in response to pro-convulsants and SBF suppression using clinical anti-epilepsy drugs. Our results reveal the feasibility of long-term MEA measurements from hiPSC-derived neuronal networks in vitro for mechanistic analyses and drug screening. However, developmental changes in electrophysiological and pharmacological properties indicate the necessity for the international standardization of culture and evaluation procedures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Electrophysiological Phenomena
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / metabolism
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / metabolism
  • GABA Agonists / metabolism
  • GABA Antagonists / metabolism
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / physiology*
  • Lepidoptera
  • Nerve Net
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Organ Culture Techniques
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
  • GABA Agonists
  • GABA Antagonists