Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Neuronal Network Biosensors
Guenter W. Gross and Joseph J. Pancrazio
CONTENTS
6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................177
6.2 Methods ..............................................................................................................................180
6.2.1 Cell Culture ..........................................................................................................180
6.2.2 Multichannel Recording ....................................................................................181
6.3 Network Response Profiles ............................................................................................184
6.3.1 Pharmacological Dose Responses ....................................................................184
6.3.2 Responses to Toxins ............................................................................................188
6.3.3 Life Support Stability and Medium Biochemistry ..........................................189
6.4 The NNBS as a Broadband Water Toxicity Sensor ......................................................192
6.4.1 Detection, Classification, and Identification ....................................................192
6.4.2 Sample Introduction and Resistance to Chlorine ..........................................194
6.4.3 Portable Sensor Units ..........................................................................................195
6.5 Development of Multinetwork Platforms for High Throughput ............................198
6.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................198
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................199
References ....................................................................................................................................199
6.1
Introduction
Neuroactive compounds can alter performance and behavior of organisms over a wide
range: from life-threatening catastrophic failure of organ systems that rely on neural input
to subtle but debilitating changes in cognitive processes and motor coordination.
Neuroactive compounds include neurotoxins, several of which are considered potential
biological weapons, as well as neurotoxicants, where a risk may arise via environmental
or occupational exposure. Evaluation of a vast number of potentially neuroactive com-
pounds, which range from candidate therapeutics to putative environmental toxicants,
presents a significant burden to the pharmaceutical industries, the military, and the aca-
demia. As supplements to current methods, which primarily rely on animal neurobehav-
ioral testing, in vitro test systems using either cell lines or high-yield primary cell cultures
are receiving increased attention. Data accumulated so far indicate that in vitro systems
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