Analyzing Neural Activity in Primary Murine Spiral Ganglion Neurons Using Multielectrode Arrays

Abstract

Source: Hahnewald, S., et al. Spiral Ganglion Neuron Explant Culture and Electrophysiology on Multi Electrode Arrays. J. Vis. Exp. (2016).

This video demonstrates the recording of spontaneous and stimulation-dependent neural activity from primary murine spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) cultures on a multielectrode array (MEA). It involves washing and preparing the MEA, recording spontaneous neural activity, and applying controlled electrical stimuli to identify stimulation-dependent neuronal activity.

Protocol

All procedures involving animal samples have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate animal ethical review committee.

1. Electrophysiological Recordings to Investigate Spontaneous and Electrode Stimulation Dependent Activity

1. Wash the multielectrode array (MEA) culture with extracellular solution, at room temperature (RT).
2. Dry the contacts with a tissue and mount the MEA on the MEA setup.
   NOTE: To keep the culture humid during the mounting, add a small drop of extracellular solution to the culture.
3. Add 300 µl of extracellular solution and wait for 10 min befo....

Results

Figure 1. Data recordings on MEA. (A) Traces of original recordings of six out of 63 electrodes showing spontaneous activity. (B) Raster plot of the six electrodes of Figure 1A after spike detection. Each .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Extracellular solution (pH 7.4)
NaCl			145 mM
KCl			4 mM
MgCl2			1 mM
CaCl2			2 mM
HEPES			5 mM
Na-pyruvate			2 mM
Glucose			5 mM
Materials
MEA electrodes	Qwane Biosciences		(Lausanne, Switzerland)
Software
Labview	National Instruments		Switzerland
IgorPro	WaveMetrics		Lake Oswega, USA