title: Photoconductive stimulation of neurons cultured on silicon wafers.
abstract: Photoconductive stimulation allows the noninvasive depolarization of neurons cultured on a silicon wafer. This technique relies on a beam of light to target a cell of interest while applying a voltage bias across the silicon wafer. The targeted cell is excited with minimal physiological manipulation, and, therefore, long-term modulation of activity patterns and investigations of biochemical mechanisms sensitive to physiological perturbations are possible. Ideologically similar to transistor-based neuronal interfaces, the photoconductive-stimulation method has the advantage of being able to extracellularly excite any neuron in a network regardless of its spatial position on the silicon substrate. This protocol can be easily implemented on a conventional reflected-light fluorescence microscope using materials and resources that are readily available. Time requirements are comparable to standard cell-culture and electrophysiology techniques. When combined with fluorescence imaging of various molecular probes, activity-dependent cellular processes can be dynamically monitored.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goda
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Colicos
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012825:Silicon