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The Effects of Acute GABA Treatment on the Functional Connectivity and Network Topology of Cortical Cultures

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Abstract

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory transmitter, acting on receptor channels to reduce neuronal excitability in matured neural systems. However, electrophysiological responses of whole neuronal ensembles to the exposure to GABA are still unclear. We used micro-electrode arrays (MEAs) to study the effects of the increasing amount of GABA on functional network of cortical neural cultures. Then the recorded data were analyzed by the cross-covariance analysis and graph theory. Results showed that after the GABA treatment, the activity parameters of firing rate, bursting rate, bursting duration and network burst frequency in neural cultures decreased as expected. In addition, the functional connectivity also decreased in similarity, network density, and the size of the largest component. However, small-worldness was not found to be influenced by the acute GABA treatment. Our results support the position that using graph theory to evaluate the functional connectivity of neural cultures may enhance understanding of the pharmacological impact of neurotransmitters on neuronal networks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank CL Wang for cell culturing. Dr. Duan Qing is highly appreciated for his hardworking efforts in editing the paper, including help with syntax, grammar, and word usage.

Funding

This study is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No.2016YFC1101303), International Cooperation and Exchange of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31320103914) and National Natural Science Funds for Outstanding Young Scholar (No. 81622027).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Yao Han, Hong Li, Yiran Lang, Yuwei Zhao, Hongji Sun, Jiuqi Han, Qiyu Wang, Jin Zhou & Changyong Wang

  2. Neural Interface& Rehabilitation Technology Research Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Peng Zhang & Xuan Ma

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  1. Yao Han
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  2. Hong Li
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Correspondence to Jin Zhou or Changyong Wang.

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Han, Y., Li, H., Lang, Y. et al. The Effects of Acute GABA Treatment on the Functional Connectivity and Network Topology of Cortical Cultures. Neurochem Res 42, 1394–1402 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-017-2190-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-017-2190-3

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