Analysis of spontaneous calcium signals to infer functional connectivity within a novel “living electrode” neural construct

Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks (uTENNs) are novel, living, neural constructs, designed to be implanted into the central nervous system (CNS) to treat neurological disease and injury. Each uTENN is a implantable self-assembly of seeded neurons in three dimensional, micro-column hydrogel scaffolds. uTENNs can be a new strategy to facilitate nervous system repair. With an externalized pole positioned under optoelectronic arrays at the cortical surface, the uTENN functions as a “living electrode” with its neurons forming synapses in the surrounding host brain to modulate activity.