In Vitro Reconstitution of the Human Nigro-striatal Circuitry in a Microfluidic Device
(A) Illustration of the nigro-striatal pathway in the brain. Substantia nigra (SN) DANs project to the dorsal striatum (Str) to connect with the medium spiny neurons (MSNs).
(B) Schematic design of the three-compartment microfluidic device with the DA and striatal lateral chambers connected via microgrooves with the central synaptic channel (SC).
(C–H) Representative images of TH+ DANs seeded in the microfluidic device.
(I–K) Representative images of DARPP32+ MSNs seeded in the microfluidic device.
(L) Quantification of DANs and MSNs relative to respectively the GFP- or tdTomato-transduced cells, after 6 weeks of culture in the microfluidic platform.
Data are mean ± SEM; n = 3 independent experiments. Scale bars, 100 μm.