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Updated: Aug 21, 2025

In Vitro Bioluminescence Assay to Characterize Circadian Rhythm in Mammary Epithelial Cells
Published on: September 28, 2017
In vitro cell models merging circadian rhythms and brain waves for personalized neuromedicine
Barbara Pavan1,2, Anna Bianchi3, Giada Botti3
1Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, via L. Borsari, 46, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Abstract:
New evidence is emerging about the dynamics of interaction between circadian rhythms and brain waves, whose coordination occurs through the entrainment process. The so-called "oscillopathies" or dysfunctions in synchronization of neuronal oscillation in key brain networks lead to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. A typical example of alteration is insomnia, a risk factor for the oscillopathies, increasingly widespread worldwide. Recently, synchronization of circadian rhythms in cell cultures has allowed an improvement in the physiological relevance of responses to stimuli. Furthermore, brain organoids and neurons cultured in microfluidic systems are the latest frontiers for in vitro reproduction of rhythmic electrical signals. In this review, the combination of these in vitro experimental approaches is proposed as suitable for a more direct investigation on the common mechanisms and neurophysiological substrates underlying brain waves and circadian oscillations, and useful to evaluate the effects of "oscillotherapeutic" drugs for personalized neuromedicine.

