Functional synapse formation between compartmentalized cortical neurons cultured inside microfluidic devices

In this work, the formation of functional synapses between compartmentalized cortical neurons cultured inside three-compartment microfluidic devices in a controlled fashion is described. The proposed device can direct axons in an isolated compartment and, thus, facilitates isolated axons forming functional synapses with dendrites of other neurons in an isolated microenvironment. This microfluidic approach allows continuous real-time monitoring of neuronal processes and fluorescently tagged biomolecules involved in synapse formation, and provides an easy, simple, cost effective, and efficient method to develop and manipulate synapses in an isolated microenvironment without using surface patterning techniques or electrical stimulation. The results presented here suggest that this microfluidic approach could be used as an alternative method for the formation of functional synapses and their exhaustive examinations.