Alteration in excitatory/inhibitory balance within iPSC-derived neuronal network

摘要

The ratio and connections between excitatory and inhibitory neurons are important to maintain brain function. It is suggested that excitatory/inhibitory imbalance can cause neurological disorders such as depression and epilepsy. In order to reveal pathogenetic mechanisms of these disorders, it is necessary to know how activity patterns of neuronal network are modulated by alteration in ratio and connections between excitatory/inhibitory neurons. However, it is difficult to alter neuronal network structure or excitatory/inhibitory ratio in vivo. In this research, our purpose is to construct neuronal network composed of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived excitatory/inhibitory neurons. First, we induced differentiation from mouse iPSCs into neurons. Second, we cultured the neurons on a microelectrode array, and recorded neuronal activity. As a result, it is suggested that functional neurons were induced from mouse iPSCs.