Long-term maintenance of patterns of hippocampal pyramidal cells on substrates of polyethylene glycol and microstamped polylysine

Cultured hippocampal neurons attached to and remained in precise micropatterns for up to 29 days in culture. The goal of this study, to identify background molecules which remain nonpermissive for extended culture durations, was met with the,use of either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or serine. The foreground regions were microstamped with 3, 5, or 10 μm lines of poly-D-lysine (PDL), which promotes neural attachment and growth. After 29 days in culture the foreground compliance, or the fraction of all live somata which rested on the desired PDL surface, averaged 86% for serine and 90% for PEG, with only a small decline. The background compliance, or the faction of square areas in the pattern background which were free of neurite extension, declined from a highs of 40% and 55% (midculture) to 5.5% and 12% (29 days) for serine and PEG, respectively