Mediathek

Multiple lines of evidence implicate increased neuroinflammation mediated by glial cells to play a key role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. Microglia, which are the primary innate immune cells of the brain, are crucial for the refinement of the synaptic circuitry during early brain development by synaptic pruning and the regulation of synaptic plasticity during adulthood. Schizophrenia risk factors as genetics or environmental influences may further be linked to increased activatio

Mutations in the gene DISC1 are associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. The study of mutated DISC1 represents a well-known and comprehensively characterized approach to understand neuropsychiatric disease mechanisms. However, previous studies have mainly used animal models or rather heterogeneous populations of iPSC-derived neurons, generated by undirected differentiation, to study the effects of DISC1 disruption. Since major hypothese

Three-dimensional in vitro models in microfluidic systems are promising tools for studying cell biology, with complex models using multiple cell types combined with high resolution imaging. Neuronal models demand electrical readout of the activity of networks of single neurons, yet classical planar microelectrode arrays struggle to capture extracellular action potentials when neural soma are suspended distant from the microelectrodes.

Elevated levels of saturated very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in cell membranes and secreted lipoparticles have been associated with neurotoxicity and, therefore, require tight regulation. Excessive VLCFAs are imported into peroxisomes for degradation by β-oxidation. Impaired VLCFA catabolism due to primary or secondary peroxisomal alterations is featured in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disorders such as X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy and multiple sclerosis (MS).

The outcome of 3D bioprinting heavily depends, amongst others, on the interaction between the developed bioink, the printing process, and the printing equipment. However, if this interplay is ensured, bioprinting promises unmatched possibilities in the health care area. To pave the way for comparing newly developed biomaterials, clinical studies, and medical applications (i.e. printed organs, patient-specific tissues), there is a great need for standardization of manufacturing methods in order to ena

Introduction: Neural organoids promise to help understand the human brain and develop treatments for neurological diseases. Electrophysiological recordings are essential in neural models to evaluate the activity of neural circuits. Mesh microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been demonstrated to be suitable for organoids and spheroids, and there is demand for easy-to-use devices that can be manufactured at scale. Methods: We present a new mesh MEA device with an easyto-use design.