Development of a MEMS microsystem to study the effect of mechanical tension on cerebral cortex neurogenesis

A clamp-and-ratchet microstructure based on poly crystalline silicon (polysilicon) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has been designed to exert mechanical tension along radial glial processes between groups of neural stem cells to study the effect of tension on cerebral cortex neurogenesis. FEA analysis shows that the design should not fail under expected loading conditions. Preliminary studies show that embryonic brain tissue survives under tension for at least six days. Neurospheres have been successfully cultured on Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) for eight days and exhibit radial extensions which appear to support neuronal migration. Stretching the PDMS using the clamp and ratchet will produce tension in these radial extensions which may modulate neuronal migration, a key process in cerebral cortex development.