Conducting polymers are class of polymer that can be synthesized directly on conductive substrates and incorporate various functional molecules into it. Its conductivity and customizability make it an ideal interface material for neuronal network research. In the first phase of this thesis, the incorporation of laminin fragments into conducting polymer films is investigated. The laminin fragments are shown to produce low impedance surfaces for neuronal recording. Furthermore, it is shown that the incorporated laminin fragments promote the adhesion of neurons to the surface. These results could provide a means for promoting a stable interface for chronic recording devices.
In the second phase of this thesis, In vitro multielectrode arrays provide a framework for studying polypyrrole-mediated controlled release of neurochemicals from microelectrodes, and neuronal network dynamics in a controlled setting. We have developed a technique to achieve transient and local inhibition of synaptic transmission in cultured networks. Conducting polymer films containing the glutamate receptor antagonist CNQX are synthesized directly on the microelectrodes in the recording array. Release of CNQX is achieved through a brief electrical pulse. Through single cell patch-clamp recording, the effectiveness of CNQX release on inhibiting excitatory post-synaptic currents (EPSC) is characterized as a function of distance and time from the releasing electrode, and evidence is shown supporting a diffusion-mediated process following release.
At the network level, simultaneous patch-clamp and extracellular recordings are used to characterize stimulus-evoked responses from the network. Cross correlation and a model-based variable clustering technique identify functional connectivity in a neuronal network response to electrical stimuli. Use of the controlled release of CNQX in conjunction with these techniques will allow us to examine the functional clustering of neurons in response to a given stimulation, and how a functional cluster is affected by transient, local inhibition in the network.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-04062009-012839 |
| Date | 30 June 2011 |
| Creators | Stauffer, William Richard |
| Contributors | Dr. Andrew Schwartz, Dr. Robert Kass, Dr. Guoqiang Bi, Dr. X. Tracy Cui, Dr. Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04062009-012839/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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