Recording propagating activity along sensory axons toward in vitro demyelination model

Abstract

In vitro modeling of demyelination disease is promising tool for elucidating pathogenic mechanisms of abnormal sensation by diabetic neuropathy. In this study, toward developing an in vitro model, we aim to develop a real-time monitoring method for myelin sheath formation by recording extracellular potential. First, rat sensory neurons and Schwann cells were dissected from dorsal root ganglion, and cultured in petri dishes. Immunofluorescent imaging showed that Schwann cells expressed myelin basic protein, indicating myelin sheath formation along axons. Next, these cells were cultured on microelectrode arrays, and their propagating action potentials along axons were recorded. Since the conduction velocity was lower than that of saltatory conduction, results suggest that the recording device has sufficient spatial and temporal resolution for detecting saltatory conduction.