Automated quantification of neurite outgrowth orientation distributions on patterned surfaces.

Objective: We have developed an image analysis methodology for quantifying the anisotropy of neuronal projections on patterned substrates.

Approach: Our method is based on the fitting of smoothing splines to the digital traces produced using a non-maximum suppression technique. This enables precise estimates of the local tangents uniformly along the neurite length, and leads to unbiased orientation distributions suitable for objectively assessing the anisotropy induced by tailored surfaces.