Neurobiology Sector, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), via Bonomea, 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 398 Ruoshui Road, Jiangsu 215123, China.
Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 11;6:29640. doi: 10.1038/srep29640.
Recent results from network theory show that complexity affects several dynamical properties of networks that favor synchronization. Here we show that synchronization in 2D and 3D neuronal networks is significantly different. Using dissociated hippocampal neurons we compared properties of cultures grown on a flat 2D substrates with those formed on 3D graphene foam scaffolds. Both 2D and 3D cultures had comparable glia to neuron ratio and the percentage of GABAergic inhibitory neurons. 3D cultures because of their dimension have many connections among distant neurons leading to small-world networks and their characteristic dynamics. After one week, calcium imaging revealed moderately synchronous activity in 2D networks, but the degree of synchrony of 3D networks was higher and had two regimes: a highly synchronized (HS) and a moderately synchronized (MS) regime. The HS regime was never observed in 2D networks. During the MS regime, neuronal assemblies in synchrony changed with time as observed in mammalian brains. After two weeks, the degree of synchrony in 3D networks decreased, as observed in vivo. These results show that dimensionality determines properties of neuronal networks and that several features of brain dynamics are a consequence of its 3D topology.
最近的网络理论研究结果表明，复杂性会影响有利于同步的网络的几个动力学特性。在这里，我们表明 2D 和 3D 神经元网络的同步有显著的差异。使用分离的海马神经元，我们比较了在平面 2D 基底上生长的培养物和在 3D 石墨烯泡沫支架上形成的培养物的特性。2D 和 3D 培养物的神经胶质细胞与神经元的比例和 GABA 能抑制性神经元的百分比都相当。由于 3D 培养物的尺寸，它们之间存在许多远距离神经元之间的连接，导致小世界网络及其特征动力学。一周后，钙成像显示 2D 网络中的活动具有中度同步性，但 3D 网络的同步程度更高，存在两个状态：高度同步（HS）和中度同步（MS）。在 2D 网络中从未观察到 HS 状态。在 MS 状态下，如在哺乳动物大脑中观察到的那样，同步的神经元集合随时间而变化。两周后，3D 网络的同步程度降低，这与体内观察到的情况一致。这些结果表明，维度决定了神经元网络的特性，而大脑动力学的几个特征是其 3D 拓扑的结果。
