4-D Hippocampus Measurements of Neurite Growth in vitro

Current research in neural tissue engineering relies heavily on in vivo animal models of neurological injury. This has a number of major drawbacks. Using innovative imaging technologies and allied data analytics, this paper presents our current work on analysing advanced 3-D models of the hippocampal circuitry, using a laminar 3-D network of orthogonally orientated nanoscale fibres constructed within a 3-D collagen gel matrix. Preliminary work on primary animal neuronal cells was able to reveal the complex responses of the neuronal cells to chemical attachment factors and topographical cues present in the in vivo-like environment of the constructed 3-D scaffold. Results suggest that the approach has validity and has helped in defining important parameters for future investigations.