Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Preparation of Neuronal Co-cultures with Single Cell Precision
Published on: May 20, 2014
Neuron-microelectrode junction induced by an engineered synapse organizer
Kosuke Sekine1, Wataru Haga1, Samyoung Kim1
1School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan.
Abstract:
The conventional microelectrodes for recording neuronal activities do not have innate selectivity to cell type, which is one of the critical limitations for the detailed analysis of neuronal circuits. In this study, we engineered a downsized variant of the artificial synapse organizer based on neurexin1β and a peptide-tag, fabricated gold microelectrodes functionalized with the receptor for the organizer, and performed validation experiments in primary cultured neurons. Successful inductions of synapse-like junctions were detected at the sites of contact between neurons expressing the engineered synapse organizer and functionalized microelectrodes, but not in the negative control experiment in which the electrode functionalization was omitted. Such a molecularly inducible neuron-microelectrode junction could be the basis for the next-generation electrophysiological technique enabling cell type-selective recording.
More Related Videos
10:45Anatomically Inspired Three-dimensional Micro-tissue Engineered Neural Networks for Nervous System Reconstruction, Modulation, and Modeling
Published on: May 31, 2017
11:27Interfacing Microfluidics with Microelectrode Arrays for Studying Neuronal Communication and Axonal Signal Propagation
Published on: December 8, 2018
Related Concept Videos
The Synapse
Electrical Synapses
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
The Neuromuscular Junction