{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110615"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110615","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Engineering novel neuronal circuits using HI-PSCS derived neurons and microglia","abstract":"The inner workings of our brain’s neural network are one of the most impactful yet simultaneously least understood natural phenomena. Previous research suggested that there might be a link to the emerging role of microglia in synaptic remodeling. However, it is still unclear as to what is the role of microglia during the development and refinement of the neuronal circuits in the brain. From previous in vivo studies, we know that microglia mediate the synaptic pruning during neuronal circuit formation, and thus we hypothesized that microglia will remodel the connections within the human cortical neuronal circuit development, resulting in higher synchronicity and stable firing of action potentials for a longer period of time. The presence of micro-glia could also help the neuronal circuits and systems to reach maturation faster. Here, we engineered an in vitro neuronal model to study the role of microglia and how they can modulate electrophysiological behavior in human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) derived cortical neuronal network during development. We characterized the cell population and functionality of neurons and microglia in culture and on a microelectrode array (MEA). The Real Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription (qRT-PCR) showed that we differentiated into a mixture of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that belong to the cortex. This was supported by the immunocytochemistry (ICC) of T-Box Brain Transcription Factor 1 (TBR1) a characteristic protein of the cerebral cortex. Importantly, our initial MEA data suggests that the electrical activity of cortical neurons increased when co-cultures were performed in the presence of microglia.","abstract_html":"The inner workings of our brain’s neural network are one of the most impactful yet simultaneously least understood natural phenomena. Previous research suggested that there might be a link to the emerging role of microglia in synaptic remodeling. However, it is still unclear as to what is the role of microglia during the development and refinement of the neuronal circuits in the brain. From previous in vivo studies, we know that microglia mediate the synaptic pruning during neuronal circuit formation, and thus we hypothesized that microglia will remodel the connections within the human cortical neuronal circuit development, resulting in higher synchronicity and stable firing of action potentials for a longer period of time. The presence of micro-glia could also help the neuronal circuits and systems to reach maturation faster. Here, we engineered an in vitro neuronal model to study the role of microglia and how they can modulate electrophysiological behavior in human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) derived cortical neuronal network during development. We characterized the cell population and functionality of neurons and microglia in culture and on a microelectrode array (MEA). The Real Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription (qRT-PCR) showed that we differentiated into a mixture of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that belong to the cortex. This was supported by the immunocytochemistry (ICC) of T-Box Brain Transcription Factor 1 (TBR1) a characteristic protein of the cerebral cortex. Importantly, our initial MEA data suggests that the electrical activity of cortical neurons increased when co-cultures were performed in the presence of microglia.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ramos-Cruz, Karla P."],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Bioengineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bashir, Rashid"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-09-17T02:34:09Z","date_published":"2021-09-17T02:34:09Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:52Z","subjects":["neurons","microglia","human stem cells","micro electrode array"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["© Copyright 2020 by Karla P. 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From previous in vivo studies, we know that microglia mediate the synaptic pruning during neuronal circuit formation, and thus we hypothesized that microglia will remodel the connections within the human cortical neuronal circuit development, resulting in higher synchronicity and stable firing of action potentials for a longer period of time. The presence of micro-glia could also help the neuronal circuits and systems to reach maturation faster. Here, we engineered an in vitro neuronal model to study the role of microglia and how they can modulate electrophysiological behavior in human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) derived cortical neuronal network during development. We characterized the cell population and functionality of neurons and microglia in culture and on a microelectrode array (MEA). The Real Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription (qRT-PCR) showed that we differentiated into a mixture of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that belong to the cortex. This was supported by the immunocytochemistry (ICC) of T-Box Brain Transcription Factor 1 (TBR1) a characteristic protein of the cerebral cortex. Importantly, our initial MEA data suggests that the electrical activity of cortical neurons increased when co-cultures were performed in the presence of microglia.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-05-01","The student, Karla Ramos-Cruz, accepted the attached license on 2020-12-02 at 12:17.","The student, Karla Ramos-Cruz, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2020-12-02 at 12:25.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2020-12-09 at 11:46.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16033 on 2021-09-16 at 17:01:26","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T02:34:09Z (GMT). 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Previous research suggested that there might be a link to the emerging role of microglia in synaptic remodeling. However, it is still unclear as to what is the role of microglia during the development and refinement of the neuronal circuits in the brain. From previous in vivo studies, we know that microglia mediate the synaptic pruning during neuronal circuit formation, and thus we hypothesized that microglia will remodel the connections within the human cortical neuronal circuit development, resulting in higher synchronicity and stable firing of action potentials for a longer period of time. The presence of micro-glia could also help the neuronal circuits and systems to reach maturation faster. Here, we engineered an in vitro neuronal model to study the role of microglia and how they can modulate electrophysiological behavior in human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) derived cortical neuronal network during development. We characterized the cell population and functionality of neurons and microglia in culture and on a microelectrode array (MEA). The Real Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription (qRT-PCR) showed that we differentiated into a mixture of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that belong to the cortex. This was supported by the immunocytochemistry (ICC) of T-Box Brain Transcription Factor 1 (TBR1) a characteristic protein of the cerebral cortex. Importantly, our initial MEA data suggests that the electrical activity of cortical neurons increased when co-cultures were performed in the presence of microglia.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-05-01","The student, Karla Ramos-Cruz, accepted the attached license on 2020-12-02 at 12:17.","The student, Karla Ramos-Cruz, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2020-12-02 at 12:25.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2020-12-09 at 11:46.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16033 on 2021-09-16 at 17:01:26","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T02:34:09Z (GMT). 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