Neural Organoids

Quality neural organoid research requires the right tools from start to finish.

Watch this 8 minute video to discover how Axion's imaging and MEA platforms allow you to capture the complex biology of organoids non-invasively and in real time.

Purpose: To simultaneously measure neural spikes and local field potentials (LFPs) in neural organoids. Organoids can recapitulate aspects of the complex structure and networking of the brain, developing LFPs detectable beyond the surface firing.

Neural organoids were recorded on the Maestro MEA platform. The MEA Viability module was used to verify organoid placement and attachment. 

Result: Neural spikes were only detected on the periphery. LFPs were recorded from the interior of the organoid, in regions where surface spiking wasn’t detected. 

Purpose: To model human brain development with cortical organoids. Altered brain development in utero can have lifelong consequences but a lack of appropriate in vitro models limits our ability to investigate these processes. 

Extracellular recordings of spontaneous electrical activity of neural organoids were measured using the Maestro MEA platform over the course of 10 months and compared to neonatal EEGs.  

Result: Cortical organoid activity demonstrated a continuously evolving neural network growing in complexity from early, middle and late time points. Organoid maturation and development were found to mimic the development of the preterm neonatal brain. Watch this webinar to learn more. 

Three-dimensional neural organoid models provide a promising platform for investigating the impact of glial cells on neural activity and exploring their complex role in the pathogenesis and progression of neurological and neuropsychiatric disease. In Popova et al, Cell Stem Cell 2021, the authors compared human microglia across culture models and used the Maestro Pro MEA platform to demonstrate how transplanted microglia accelerated the emergence of synchronous, oscillatory network activity in cortical organoids in vitro.

Cortical organoids on multiwell Maestro MEA system

The genomes of Neanderthals and modern humans are very similar. By investigating the differences in genetic make-up, we can gain insights into what separated modern humans from our extinct relatives. In this webinar, Cleber Trujillo, PhD (StemoniX) discusses how he introduced an archaic variant gene, NOVA1, into human pluripotent stem cell-derived brain organoids and evaluated the impact on neural activity as recorded on the Maestro MEA system.

Electrical activity is measured from organoids cultured on electrodes. Cerebral organoids generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) exhibit spontaneous neural activity, with increasing complexity as networks mature. Since the microelectrode array is two dimensional, signals recorded reflect the activity of the neurons on the bottom of the organoid. For the best results, ensure contact between the electrodes and the bottom of the organoid.

(A) Activity map displaying instantaneous firing rate of four wells with multiple cerebral organoids in each well. (B) Continuous voltage data recorded from four electrodes in one well. Activity is recorded from different sites on the same organoid. (C) Well-wide raster plot showing activity across all 16 electrodes and synchronous network bursting. Teal tick marks indicate electrode bursts, and orange boxes indicate network bursts. Data provided by Maestro customer.