Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Res. (Med.))--University of Hong Kong, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-190). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006. / Prepared for: School of Medicine. Bibliography: leaves 168-188. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Iowa, 2006. / Supervisor: Stefan Strack. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-191).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: Scanning electron microscope; Cell adhesion; Carbon; Gene expression; Nerve growth factor; nerve regeneration. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-87).

No description available.

Highly organised structures have been well-known to be part of the complex neuronal network presented in the nervous system, where thousands of neuronal connections are arranged to give rise to critical physiological functions. Conventional in vitro culture methods are useful to represent simplistic neuronal behaviour, however, the lack of such organisation results in random and uncontrolled neurite spreading, leading to a lack of cell directionality and in turn, resulting in inaccurate neuronal in vitro models. Neurons are highly specialised cells, known to be greatly dependent on interactions with their surroundings. Therefore, when surface material is modified, drastic changes in neuronal behaviour can be achieved. The use of chemically modified surfaces in vitro has opened new avenues in cell culture, where the chaotic environment found in conventional culture methods can be controlled by the combination of surface modification methods with surface engineering techniques. Polymer brushes and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) display a wide range of advantages as a surface modification tool for cell culture applications, since their properties can be finely tuned to promote or inhibit cellular adhesion, differentiation and proliferation. Therefore, when precisely combined with patterning techniques, a control over neuronal behaviour can be achieved. Neuronal patterning presents a system with instructive cues that can be used to study neuron-neuron communication by directing single neurites in specific locations to initiate synapses. Furthermore, although this area has not been much explored, the use of these patterned brushes could also be used in co-culture systems as a platform to closely monitor cell heterotypical communication. This research demonstrates the behaviour of SH-SY5Y neurons on a variety of SAMs and polymer brushes, both in isolation and combination to promote cellular spatial control. APTES and BIBB coatings promoted the highest cell viability, proliferation, metabolic activity and neuronal maturation, whilst low cell adhesion was seen on PKSPMA and PMETAC surfaces. Thereafter, PKSPMA brushes were used as a potential cell repulsive coating and its combination with micro- patterning techniques (photolithography and soft lithography) resulted in a system with instructive cues for neuronal guidance, where neuronal directionality was obtained. In the final chapter of this thesis, a chimeric co-culture system was developed where the patterned SH-SY5Y cells were co-cultured with C2C12 myoblasts in an attempt to obtain an organised neuronal-muscle co-culture system. Whilst preliminary observations showed first stages of a patterned neuronal-muscle co-culture, future work is necessary to refine and improve the patterned co-culture process.

1. Peripheral nerve from the crab walking leg was seen to take up nicotinic acid (NA) to an extent ten times greater than the surrounding tissues (p.37). 2. After a labelled dose of NA there was a gradient of radioactivity in the nerve trunk with the maximum peripherally (p.40). 3. Individual fibres from the trunk were seen to take the *NA up in equal amounts, irrespective of their function (p.47). 4. No such gradient was seen in a length of nerve immersed in a bath containing *NA (p.45). 5. A substance was extracted from the nerve after injection of the *NA which was radioactive (p.49), and which was seen to have reactions of a small peptide (p.57). 6. This substance was also seen to have an accelerating effect on the crab heart, but had no detected effect on the contractions of the closer muscle in the leg (p.68). 7. In the second part of the thesis, results show that there is no difference in the structure of the sheath around the different motor axons in the crab leg, as seen under the light microscope (p.108). 8. When the potassium concentration around an isolated axon was changed to three times its normal value, the resulting drop in the membrane potential and resistance was slower and smaller than for any other concentration tried (p.113). 9. The effect of applying to single fibres dinitrophenol and other compounds of pharmacological interest was studied; with the dinitrophenol the membrane resistance was seen to fall reversibly in the manner described for other preparations (p.120).