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. 2011 Oct 13;6(10):e26187. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026187

Figure 1. Engineering spatial distribution of synapses in microfabricated 3D neural cell layers.

Figure 1

(A) Illustration of native synaptic appearance in the cerebral cortex. Scale adapted to rats. L1 … L6: cortical cell layer notation. (B) Native synaptic density differs within cortical cell layers. Synaptic density was extracted from [3] based on image treatment, described in Supporting information S6. We hypothesize that synergistic NGF/B27 gradients influence axon guidance and spatial distribution of synapses. (C) Schematic view of combining micropatterning and gradient generation in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device. (D) Engineered cortical cell layers and spatial distribution of synapses after B27/NGF gradient exposure. Synergistic gradient guides neurites and increases synapse assembly towards higher concentration. LA 1 … LA 4: hydrogel layer notation in vitro.