Ion channels are membrane proteins that selectively conduct ions across the cell membrane. The flux of ions through ion channels drives electrical and biochemical processes in cells and plays a critical role in shaping the electrical properties of neurons. During the past three decades, extensive research has been carried out to characterize the molecular, structural, and biophysical properties of ion channels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA facile method is proposed for the deposition of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) layers onto microelectrode arrays by means of a microcontact printing technique, leading to the fabrication of MEAs characterized by well defined electrical and morphological properties. Using polydimethyl siloxane stamps, produced from different mold designs, a flexibility of printing is achieved that provides access to microscale, nanostructured electrodes. The thickness of MWCNT layers can be exactly predetermined by evaluating the concentration of the MWCNT solution employed in the process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough previous studies of Huntington's disease (HD) have addressed many potential mechanisms of striatal neuron dysfunction and death, it is also known, based on clinical findings, that cortical function is dramatically disrupted in HD. With respect to disease etiology, however, the specific molecular and neuronal circuit bases for the cortical effects of mutant huntingtin (htt) have remained largely unknown. In the present work, we studied the relationship between the molecular effects of mutant htt fragments in cortical cells and the corresponding behavior of cortical neuron microcircuits by using a novel cellular model of HD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon nanotubes have been applied in several areas of nerve tissue engineering to probe and augment cell behaviour, to label and track subcellular components, and to study the growth and organization of neural networks. Recent reports show that nanotubes can sustain and promote neuronal electrical activity in networks of cultured cells, but the ways in which they affect cellular function are still poorly understood. Here, we show, using single-cell electrophysiology techniques, electron microscopy analysis and theoretical modelling, that nanotubes improve the responsiveness of neurons by forming tight contacts with the cell membranes that might favour electrical shortcuts between the proximal and distal compartments of the neuron.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe unique properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and the application of nanotechnology to the nervous system may have a tremendous impact in the future developments of microsystems for neural prosthetics as well as immediate benefits for basic research. Despite increasing interest in neuroscience nanotechnologies, little is known about the electrical interactions between nanomaterials and neurons. We developed an integrated SWNT-neuron system to test whether electrical stimulation delivered via SWNT can induce neuronal signaling.
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