Impact of type-1 collagen hydrogel density on integrin-linked morphogenic response of SH-SY5Y neuronal cells.

Cellular metabolism and behaviour is closely linked to cytoskeletal tension and scaffold mechanics. In the developing nervous system functional connectivity is controlled by the interplay between chemical and mechanical cues that initiate programs of cell behaviour. Replication of functional connectivity in neuronal populations has proven a technical challenge due to the absence of many systems of biomechanical regulation that control directional outgrowth .