Neurotransmitter release in aggregate cultures of chick embryo retina cells

The study of neurotransmitter release using aggregate cell cultures has been limited by the fact that cell aggregates are obtained only when cells are maintained in suspension with rotatory agitation. In this report we describe a simple and easy method that uses aggregate cell cultures to study the release of neurotransmitters. The results demonstrate that this relatively simple technique can be of great value to address the problem of neurotransmitter release and study the mechanisms of action of natural and synthetic compounds on the differentiation of functional synapses in the CNS.