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SUMMARY:Network function in human cerebral organoids as a platform for mec
 hanistic and therapeutic advances in cognitive disorders - Dr Susanna Barr
 ett Mierau
DTSTART:20220630T140000Z
DTEND:20220630T150000Z
UID:TALK175712@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sarah Morgan
DESCRIPTION:Human cerebral organoids offer an extraordinary in vitro cellu
 lar model for studying human brain development and early disturbances in n
 eurologic disease. Microelectrode array (MEA) recordings are commonly used
  to compare neuronal activity in 2D and 3D cultures. Yet\, MEA recordings 
 can also reveal cellular-scale network activity (Schroeter et al.\, 2017)\
 , including patterns or motifs in network function seen across spatial sca
 les from cellular to whole brain networks.  We have used MEA recordings fr
 om human air-liquid interface cerebral organoids (ALI-COs\; Giandomenico e
 t al.\, 2019) to study network function and maturation. We have also demon
 strated intact neuronal network function development with MEA recordings i
 n a human cerebral organoid model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with fr
 ontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD\; Szenbenyi et al.\, 2021). To facilitate i
 nvestigations of network development in ALI0COs and the impact of disease-
 causing perturbations\, we created a MATLAB network analysis pipeline (MEA
 -NAP) for batch analysis of MEA experiments to compare network function ov
 er time and conditions (e.g.\, genetic mutation or drug treatment). This u
 ser-friendly\, open source diagnostic tool can process raw voltage time-se
 ries acquired from single- (Multichannel System) or multi-well MEAs (Axion
 ) and automatically infer key network properties from organoids or 2D huma
 n (or murine) neuronal cultures. Our pipeline enables users to perform MEA
  analysis beyond standard measures of activity or correlation alone to ide
 ntify differences in network topology and roles of individual nodes in net
 work activity. Our analyses of network function in ALI-COs demonstrate tha
 t they can serve as a platform for investigating disease mechanisms and sc
 reening new therapies.
LOCATION:Online
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