Positioning and guidance of neurons on gold surfaces by directed assembly of proteins using Atomic Force Microscopy

We demonstrate that Atomic Force Microscopy nanolithography can be used to control effectively the adhesion, growth and interconnectivity of cortical neurons on Au surfaces. We demonstrate immobilization of neurons at well-defined locations on Au surfaces using two different types of patterned proteins: 1) poly-d-lysine (PDL), a positively charged polypeptide used extensively in tissue culture and 2) laminin, a component of the extracellular matrix. Our results show that both PDL and laminin patterns can be used to confine neuronal cells and to control their growth and interconnectivity on Au surfaces, a significant step towards the engineering of artificial neuronal assemblies with well-controlled neuron position and connections.