In vitro studies on the maturation of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons.

The use of neural culture is illustrated by the study of the in vitro development of a well defined neuronal system in the brain: the mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons of the rodent species. After a brief survey of its ontogenetic development, the various experimental techniques for its study in vitro are described. Such an approach has allowed the discovery of influences brought by a target area, like the striatum, on the maturation of these neurons. A new kind of local morphogenic interactions between these neurons and their glial partners is also reported.