Study of neuronal networks development from in-vitro recordings: A Granger causality based approach.

This methodological work is aimed at providing a Granger causality based approach to the study of neuronal networks development in vitro. The analysis procedure makes use of tools derived from statistics and network theory for accessing network development of in-vitro neuronal cultures from their electrical activity, recorded through Multi Electrode Arrays (MEAs). The preliminary results that will be presented here show the potential of this approach for characterizing in a quantitative way the developmental stages of neuronal networks and provide some evidences which are consistent with direct in-vitro and in-vivo observations reported by other authors.