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O'Neill KM, Anderson ED, Mukherjee S, Gandu S, McEwan SA, Omelchenko A, Rodriguez AR, Losert W, Meaney DF, Babadi B, Firestein BL. Time-dependent homeostatic mechanisms underlie brain-derived neurotrophic factor action on neural circuitry. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1278. [PMID: 38110605 PMCID: PMC10728104 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05638-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity and homeostatic mechanisms allow neural networks to maintain proper function while responding to physiological challenges. Despite previous work investigating morphological and synaptic effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the most prevalent growth factor in the central nervous system, how exposure to BDNF manifests at the network level remains unknown. Here we report that BDNF treatment affects rodent hippocampal network dynamics during development and recovery from glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in culture. Importantly, these effects are not obvious when traditional activity metrics are used, so we delve more deeply into network organization, functional analyses, and in silico simulations. We demonstrate that BDNF partially restores homeostasis by promoting recovery of weak and medium connections after injury. Imaging and computational analyses suggest these effects are caused by changes to inhibitory neurons and connections. From our in silico simulations, we find that BDNF remodels the network by indirectly strengthening weak excitatory synapses after injury. Ultimately, our findings may explain the difficulties encountered in preclinical and clinical trials with BDNF and also offer information for future trials to consider.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M O'Neill
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Institute for Physical Science & Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Erin D Anderson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shoutik Mukherjee
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Srinivasa Gandu
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Sara A McEwan
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Anton Omelchenko
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ana R Rodriguez
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Wolfgang Losert
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Institute for Physical Science & Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - David F Meaney
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Behtash Babadi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Bonnie L Firestein
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
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Neuronal Cultures: Exploring Biophysics, Complex Systems, and Medicine in a Dish. BIOPHYSICA 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/biophysica3010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal cultures are one of the most important experimental models in modern interdisciplinary neuroscience, allowing to investigate in a control environment the emergence of complex behavior from an ensemble of interconnected neurons. Here, I review the research that we have conducted at the neurophysics laboratory at the University of Barcelona over the last 15 years, describing first the neuronal cultures that we prepare and the associated tools to acquire and analyze data, to next delve into the different research projects in which we actively participated to progress in the understanding of open questions, extend neuroscience research on new paradigms, and advance the treatment of neurological disorders. I finish the review by discussing the drawbacks and limitations of neuronal cultures, particularly in the context of brain-like models and biomedicine.
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