Technology

Photoconductive stimulation is a technique that allows the rapid, non-invasive depolarization of excitable cells, such as neurons. It can be used to induce action potentials in neurons grown in culture, reproducing a user defined activity pattern. Cells are grown on silicon wafers in industry standard 24 well plates, and then mounted in a reusable dish for live observation under a microscope. The electronics provided can be used to depolarize the cells at user-definable frequency and intensity. This technology provides the researcher with the ability to dynamically study activity dependent phenomena without the requirement for a direct physical link to the cell (such as an electrode or transistor contact). The non-invasive, optical targeting allows an extended observation period, dependent only upon the environmental support for the cells.