Early onset of electrical activity in developing neurons cultured on carbon nanotube immobilized microelectrodes

In this study, we test the hypothesis that increased surface roughness due to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) enhances neuronal adhesion and consequently electrical excitability of single neurons. Neurons are grown on CNT modified microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Multi-unit activity was seen as early as 4 days after seeding compared to 7 days in control cultures on microelectrodes without CNTs. The results overall, show earlier onset and higher level of electrical activity in neurons seeded on CNT modified MEAs compared to non-modified control MEAs. We conclude that CNTs on microelectrodes enhance electrical excitability of single neurons in culture.