A planar microelectrode array modified by nanoparticles for monitoring of electrophysiological activity of cortical neurons modulated by chemical stimulation

A multichannel high-throughput microchip device integrating arrays of Pt microelectrodes modified with Pt-black nanoparticles for the measurement of spike activity from individual cells was fabricated. The microfabricated microelectrode arrays with a good noise level and appropriate impedance on glass substrate combined with homemade multichannel acquisition system as a powerful tool for neuroelectrial monitoring. The activity of cortical neurons was recorded at spontaneous and excited state on the system. The changes in activity patterns of cultivated cortical neurons induced by the treatment with chemical (KCl) were analyzed. A detailed analysis of chemical effects on the neurons electrophysiological behavior including spike and burst activity is presented. The cells showed obviously improved activity after stimulation by K+, the firing frequency and firing amplitude increased as well as the higher number of firing channels. The application of chemical (KCl) stimulation modulates the electrophysiological activity of cortical neuronal networks with respect to the spontaneous activity intrinsically shown by the cultured neurons. The proposed approach coupled to MEAs and detection system allows for a more extensive use of in vitro cultured neurons for neuropharmacological applications and which supply the promise of MEA technology as a high throughput, rapid screening method for toxicity testing of chemical.