º£½ÇÆÆ½â°æ

BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium

Serum-free neurophysiological basal medium for improved neuronal function

BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium

Serum-free neurophysiological basal medium for improved neuronal function

Catalog #
(Select a product)
Serum-free neurophysiological basal medium for improved neuronal function
Request Pricing Request Pricing

Product Advantages


  • More representative of the brain’s extracellular environment

  • Improved neuronal function and a higher proportion of synaptically active neurons

  • Perform functional assays without changing media and shocking cells

  • Supports long-term culture of ES/iPS cell- and CNS-derived neurons

  • Rigorous raw material screening and quality control ensure minimal lot-to-lot variability

What Our Scientist Says

I want to help neuroscientists like you create more physiological culture conditions, for more active and healthy neuronal cultures.

Carmen MakScientist
Carmen Mak, Scientist

Overview

Promote, rather than inhibit, neuronal activity and maturity in your cultured primary or human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neurons. Based on the formulation by Bardy and Gage (Bardy et al. PNAS, 2015), BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium is a serum-free basal medium that is optimized to yield a higher proportion of synaptically active neurons by mimicking the central nervous system (CNS) extracellular environment.

Use BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium for long-term culture of hPSC- and CNS-derived neurons. To avoid shocking your cells with media changes, you can also use BrainPhysâ„¢ medium when performing functional assays, such as microelectrode array-based recordings or live-fluorescent imaging.

To ensure cell health in long-term serum-free culture, BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium must be combined with an appropriate serum-replacement supplement, such as NeuroCultâ„¢ SM1 Neuronal Supplement and/or N2 Supplement-A. For your convenience, various BrainPhysâ„¢ kits that include the required supplement(s) for primary or hPSC-derived neurons are also available.

View our additional resources to learn more about the BrainPhysâ„¢ system.
Subtype
Basal Media, Specialized Media
Cell Type
Neural Cells, PSC-Derived, Neurons, Pluripotent Stem Cells
Species
Human, Mouse, Rat
Application
Cell Culture, Differentiation, Maintenance
Brand
BrainPhys
Area of Interest
Disease Modeling, Drug Discovery and Toxicity Testing, Neuroscience, Stem Cell Biology
Formulation Category
Serum-Free

Data Figures

Table 1. Properties of Culture Media (C Bardy et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2015)

Check-mark denotes physiological conditions

Check-mark denotes physiological conditions and supported activities according to C Bardy et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2015.

Rodent Neurons Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium

Figure 1. Protocol for Plating and Culturing Primary Neurons with the SM1 Culture System

Primary rodent tissue dissociated in papain was plated in NeuroCultâ„¢ Neuronal Plating Medium, supplemented with NeuroCultâ„¢ SM1 Neuronal Supplement, L-Glutamine, and L-Glutamic Acid. On day 5, primary neurons were transitioned to BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium, supplemented with NeuroCultâ„¢ SM1 Neuronal Supplement, by performing half-medium changes every 3 - 4 days.

Rodent Neurons Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium

Figure 2. Protocol for Culturing hPSCs with the SM1 Culture System

hPSCs were maintained in mTeSRâ„¢1 medium and then differentiated using the STEMdiffâ„¢ SMADi Neural Induction Kit. Following plating on PLO/laminin, half-medium changes were performed to transition to BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium for maturation and long-term culture.

Primary Neuronal Cultures Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium Have Greater Numbers of Neurons

Figure 3. The SM1 Culture System Supports Long-Term Culture of Rodent Neurons

Primary E18 rat cortical neurons were cultured in the SM1 Culture System. A large number of viable neurons are visible after (A) 21 and (B) 35 days, as demonstrated by their bright neuronal cell bodies, and extensive neurite outgrowth and branching. Neurons are evenly distributed over the culture surface with minimal cell clumping.

Rodent Neuronal Cultures Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium Show Improved Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Activity

Figure 4. Pre- and Post-Synaptic Markers are Expressed in Rodent Neurons Cultured in the SM1 Culture System

Primary E18 rat cortical neurons were cultured in the SM1 Culture System. At 21 DIV, neurons are phenotypically mature, as indicated by the presence of an extensive dendritic arbor, and appropriate expression and localization of pre-synaptic synapsin (A,C; green) and post-synaptic PSD-95 (A,B; red) markers. Synapsin is concentrated in discrete puncta distributed along the somata and dendritic processes, as defined by the dendritic marker MAP2 (A,D; blue).

Expression of Pre-Synaptic Markers in Rodent Neurons Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium

Figure 5. The SM1 Culture System Supports Increased Cell Survival

(A) Primary E18 rat cortical neurons were cultured in the SM1 Culture System or a Competitor Culture System for 21 days. Neurons cultured in the SM1 Culture System have a significantly higher number of viable cells compared to the competitor culture system (n = 4; mean ± 95% CI; *p < 0.05). (B) Primary E18 rat cortical neurons were cultured in Neurobasal® supplemented with NeuroCult™ SM1 Neuronal Supplement (SM1) or competitor B27-like supplements (Competitor 1,2,3) for 21 days. Cultures supplemented with NeuroCult™ SM1 Neuronal Supplement have an equal number of neurons compared to competitor-supplemented cultures. Bars represent standard error of mean.

Raster plots showing activity of neurons cultured in BrainPhys and SM1 versus commercial media

Figure 6. BrainPhysâ„¢ Supports Improved Neuronal Activity and More Consistent Network Bursting in Long-Term Culture

Raster plots from MEA recordings show the firing patterns of primary E18 rat cortical neurons across 8 electrodes at Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8. Neurons were either cultured with a Commercial Medium with Supplements, Commercial Medium Plus with Supplements, BrainPhysâ„¢ and SM1, or BrainPhysâ„¢ and SM1 with 15 mM glucose. Detected spikes (black lines), single channel bursts (blue lines; a collection of at least 5 spikes, each separated by an ISI of no more than 100 ms), and network bursts (magenta boxes; a collection of at least 50 spikes from a minimum of 35% of participating electrodes across each well, each separated by an ISI of no more than 100 ms) were recorded for each medium. (A-D) Neurons cultured with Commercial Medium exhibited network bursting in Week 2 but no spiking activity was detected in subsequent timepoints. (E-H) In Commercial Medium Plus-cultured neurons, a high number of spikes and regular network bursting were detected at Week 2. A decreased number of spikes and inconsistent network bursting were observed in later time points, corresponding to the drop in MFR seen in Figure 4. (I-L) Without glucose, individual spiking was observed at Weeks 2 and 4 with BrainPhysâ„¢ and SM1 but network bursting was not detected until Weeks 6 and 8. (M-T) In contrast, neurons cultured with BrainPhysâ„¢ and SM1 with 15 mM glucose demonstrated strong spiking activity and consistent network bursting at all timepoints. MEA = microelectrode array; ISI = inter-spike interval; MFR = mean firing rate

MEA data showing mean firing rate of rodent primary neurons cultured in BrainPhys and SM1 versus commercial media

Figure 7. Glucose Supplementation in BrainPhysâ„¢ Maintains Neuronal Activity Over 8 Weeks in Culture

Primary E18 rat cortical neurons were cultured with BrainPhys™ and SM1 or other commercially available culture systems for 8 weeks. Neuronal activity can be detected at Day 9 with BrainPhys™, whereas activity is not detected until Day 14 in cultures maintained in either of the Commercial Media with Commercial Supplements. For Commercial Medium and Supplement-cultured neurons, mean firing rate remains low throughout culture. In contrast, a “peak-drop†activity pattern is observed in the Commercial Medium Plus condition, where mean firing rate increases rapidly within 2 days, followed by a drop in activity in the next 2 - 4 days. BrainPhys™and SM1 Kit with 15 mM glucose maintains the highest level of activity throughout the 8-week culture period.

hPSC-Derived Neurons Generated in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium Express Markers of Neuronal Maturity After 14 and 44 Days of Differentiation

Figure 8. hPSC-Derived Neurons Generated in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium Express Markers of Neuronal Maturity After 14 and 44 Days of Differentiation

NPCs were generated from H9 cells using STEMdiff™ Neural Induction Medium in an embryoid body-based protocol. Next, NPCs were cultured in (A,C) BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium, supplemented with 2% NeuroCult™ SM1 Supplement, 1% N2 Supplement-A, 20 ng/mL GDNF, 20 ng/mL BDNF, 1 mM db-cAMP and 200 nM ascorbic acid to initiate neuronal differentiation, or (B,D) DMEM/F12 under the same supplementation conditions. After 14 and 44 days of differentiation and maturation, neurons express the synaptic marker Synapsin 1 (green) and the mature neuronal marker MAP2 (red). In this example, neurons matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium show increased Synapsin 1 staining. Scale bar= 100 µm

hPSC-Derived Neurons Generated in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium and NeuroCult™ SM1 and N2 Supplements are Healthy and Morphologically Normal

Figure 9. hPSC-Derived Neurons Generated in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium and NeuroCult™ SM1 and N2 Supplements are Healthy and Morphologically Normal

NPCs were generated from H9 cells using STEMdiff™ Neural Induction Medium in an embryoid body-based protocol. Next, NPCs were cultured for 44 DIV in (A) BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium, supplemented with 2% NeuroCult™ SM1 Supplement, 1% N2 Supplement-A, 20 ng/mL GDNF, 20 ng/mL BDNF, 1 mM db-cAMP and 200 nM ascorbic acid to initiate neuronal differentiation, or (B) DMEM/F12 under the same supplementation conditions. Neuronal cultures differentiated from NPCs in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium display extensive neurite outgrowth and reduced cellular debris compared to cultures differentiated in DMEM/F12. Scale bar= 100 µm.

hPSC-Derived Neurons Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium Show Improved Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Activity

Figure 10. hPSC-Derived Neurons Matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium Show Improved Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Activity

NPCs were generated from H9 cells using STEMdiff™ Neural Induction Medium in an embryoid body-based protocol. Next, NPCs were cultured for 44 DIV in (A,C) BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium, supplemented with 2% NeuroCult™ SM1 Supplement, 1% N2 Supplement-A, 20 ng/mL GDNF, 20 ng/mL BDNF, 1 mM db-cAMP and 200 nM ascorbic acid to initiate neuronal differentiation, or (B,D) in DMEM/F12 under the same supplementation conditions. (A,C) Neurons matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium showed spontaneous excitatory (AMPA-mediated; A) and inhibitory (GABA-mediated; C) synaptic events. The frequency and amplitude of spontaneous synaptic events is consistently greater in neuronal cultures matured in BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium, compared to neurons plated and matured in DMEM/F12 (B,D). Traces are representative.

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
Lot #
Language
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05790
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05790
Lot #
All
Language
English

Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Resources and Publications

Educational Materials (28)

Brochure
Brochure
Brochure
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster

Publications (84)

Proteolytic activities of extracellular vesicles attenuate A-synuclein aggregation K. Vekrellis et al. NPJ Parkinson's Disease 2025 Sep

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized lipid vesicles released into the extracellular space. We investigated the role of mouse brain-derived EVs in α-synuclein (α-syn) degradation and pathology transmission. Using sucrose gradient isolation and biochemical characterization, we found that EVs harbor active proteases that cleave both monomeric α-syn and pre-formed fibrils (PFFs). Protease activity and inhibitor profiling identified cathepsins B and S as key enzymes mediating this cleavage. EV-mediated proteolysis reduced the seeding capacity of α-syn PFFs in vitro and in vivo, whereas protease inhibition enhanced aggregation. Proteomic analysis revealed a restricted protease repertoire within EV cargo. Our findings suggest that EVs regulate extracellular α-syn levels via proteolysis, thereby modulating its prion-like spreading potential. We suggest that EVs represent a novel post-translational mechanism to regulate the levels of extracellular α-syn and may thus affect the spreading of α-syn pathology. Targeting this proteolytic capacity may offer new therapeutic interventions for mitigating synucleinopathies. Subject terms: Biochemistry, Cell biology, Neuroscience, Pathogenesis
Lithium partially rescues gene expression and enhancer activity from heterozygous knockout of AKAP11 while inducing novel differential changes N. Farhangdoost et al. Scientific Reports 2025 Oct

Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex psychiatric condition usually requiring long-term treatment. Lithium (Li) remains the most effective mood stabilizer for BD, yet it benefits only a subset of patients, and its precise mechanism of action remains elusive. Exome sequencing has identified AKAP11 (A-kinase anchoring protein 11) as a shared risk gene for BD and schizophrenia (SCZ). Given that both the AKAP11-Protein Kinase A (PKA) complex and Li target and inhibit Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 beta (GSK3β), we hypothesize that Li may partially normalize the transcriptomic and/or epigenomic alterations observed in heterozygous AKAP11-knockout (Het-AKAP11-KO) iPSC-derived neurons. In this study, we employed genome-wide approaches to assess the effects of Li on the transcriptome and epigenome of human iPSC-derived Het-AKAP11-KO neuronal culture. We show that chronic Li treatment in this cellular model upregulates key pathways that were initially downregulated by Het-AKAP11-KO, several of which have also been reported as downregulated in synapses of BD and SCZ post-mortem brain tissues. Moreover, we demonstrated that Li treatment partially rescues certain transcriptomic alterations resulting from Het-AKAP11-KO, bringing them closer to the WT state. We suggest two possible mechanisms underlying these transcriptomic effects: (1) Li modulates histone H3K27ac levels at intergenic and intronic enhancers, influencing enhancer activity and transcription factor binding, and (2) Li enhances GSK3β serine 9 phosphorylation, impacting WNT/β-catenin signaling and downstream transcription. These findings underscore Li’s potential as a therapeutic agent for BD and SCZ patients carrying AKAP11 loss-of-function variants or exhibiting similar pathway alterations to those observed in Het-AKAP11-KO models.
Rescue of imprinted genes by epigenome editing in human cellular models of Prader-Willi syndrome A. Nemoto et al. Nature Communications 2025 Oct

Abstract

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genomic imprinting disorder caused by the loss of function of the paternal chromosome 15q11-13, resulting in a spectrum of symptoms associated with hypothalamic dysfunction. PWS patients lack the expression of paternally expressed genes (PEGs) in the 15q11-13 locus but possess an epigenetically silenced set of these genes in the maternal allele. Thus, activation of these silenced genes can serve as a therapeutic target for PWS. Here, we leverage CRISPR-based epigenome editing system to modulate the DNA methylation status of the PWS imprinting control region (PWS-ICR) in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from PWS patients. Successful demethylation in the PWS-ICR restores the PEG expression from the maternal allele and reorganizes the methylation patterns in other PWS-associated imprinted regions beyond the PWS-ICR. Remarkably, these corrected epigenomic patterns and PEG expression are maintained following the differentiation of these cells into hypothalamic organoids. Finally, the single-cell transcriptomic analysis of epigenome-edited organoids demonstrates a partial restoration of the transcriptomic dysregulation observed in PWS. This study highlights the utility of epigenome editing technology as a therapeutic approach in addressing PWS and potentially other imprinting disorders. The authors develop CRISPR-based epigenome editing strategy to reactivate silenced maternally inherited genes for Prader-Willi syndrome in human iPSC and hypothalamic organoid models, highlighting its potential for treating imprinting disorders.