Closing the Loop: Stimulation Feedback Systems for Embodied MEA Cultures

By combining MEA electrophysiology with long-term time-lapse imaging, it is possible to make correlations between changes in network function and changes in neuronal morphology. By re-embodying dissociated cultured networks, network function can be mapped onto behavior, and in vitro research can now make use of a new kind of behavioral studies that include detailed (submicron) imaging not possible in vivo. By closing the sensory-motor loop around MEA cultures, they are more likely to shed light on the mechanisms of learning, memory, and information processing in animals.