Effects of Electrical Stimulation on Autonomous Electrical Activity in a Cultured Rat Hippocampal Neuronal Network

摘要

The complex dynamics of electrical activity in a neuronal network can be effectively analyzed using a small-scale network of cultured living neurons. A multielectrode array culture dish is convenient for this purpose. In this study, we focused on the effects of electrical stimulation on autonomous electrical activity, which included widespread global activity, bursting activity in several parts of the network, and unsynchronized local activity. The electrical stimulation selectively reduced bursting activity in intermediate areas. These results suggest that electrical stimulation not only evoked action potentials but also reduced autonomous activity in a circuit- and frequency-restricted manner. Thus, electrical stimulation changed the internal state of the network.