On the effect of long-term electrical stimulation on three-dimensional cell cultures: Hen embryo brain spheroids

Ivan S Uroukov¹, Larry Bull²

¹Faculty of Applied Sciences; ²Faculty of Computing, Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Abstract: A comprehensive dataset of multielectrode array recordings was collected from three-dimensional hen embryo brain cell cultures, termed spheroids, under long-term electrical stimulation. The aim is to understand the ongoing changes in the spiking activity under electrical stimulation within the lifetime of 14–72DIV of the neuronal networks contained therein. The spiking dynamics were analyzed and behavioral characteristics derived. Some effects on spiking patterns and exhaustion were followed in culture lifetime. With respect to the culture development, two main types of spiking exhaustion were found: one which materializes in the form of a drop in the sporadic (tonic) spiking frequency at the later maturation stages; and another associated with decreasing spiking train appearance throughout an experimental period.

Keywords: brain, 3D cell culture, spheroids, long-term electrical stimulation, exhaustion, learning, multielectrode array (MEA), neuronal networks, spike generation