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What Our Scientist Says
I want to help neuroscientists like you create more physiological culture conditions, for more active and healthy neuronal cultures.
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.
Table 1. Properties of Culture Media (C Bardy et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2015)
Check-mark denotes physiological conditions and supported activities according to C Bardy et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2015.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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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
Proteostasis and lysosomal repair deficits in transdifferentiated neurons of Alzheimer’s disease
Chou et al.
Nature Cell Biology 2025 Mar
Abstract
Ageing is the most prominent risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the cellular mechanisms linking neuronal proteostasis decline to the characteristic aberrant protein deposits in the brains of patients with AD remain elusive. Here we develop transdifferentiated neurons (tNeurons) from human dermal fibroblasts as a neuronal model that retains ageing hallmarks and exhibits AD-linked vulnerabilities. Remarkably, AD tNeurons accumulate proteotoxic deposits, including phospho-tau and amyloid β, resembling those in APP mouse brains and the brains of patients with AD. Quantitative tNeuron proteomics identify ageing- and AD-linked deficits in proteostasis and organelle homeostasis, most notably in endosome–lysosomal components. Lysosomal deficits in aged tNeurons, including constitutive lysosomal damage and ESCRT-mediated lysosomal repair defects, are exacerbated in AD tNeurons and linked to inflammatory cytokine secretion and cell death. Providing support for the centrality of lysosomal deficits in AD, compounds ameliorating lysosomal function reduce amyloid β deposits and cytokine secretion. Thus, the tNeuron model system reveals impaired lysosomal homeostasis as an early event of ageing and AD. Subject terms: Organelles, Protein folding
Astrocyte-secreted cues promote neural maturation and augment activity in human forebrain organoids
H. Zheng et al.
Nature Communications 2025 Mar
Abstract
Brain organoids have been proposed as suitable human brain model candidates for a variety of applications. However, the lack of appropriate maturation limits the transferability of such functional tools. Here, we present a method to facilitate neuronal maturation by integrating astrocyte-secreted factors into hPSC-derived 2D and 3D neural culture systems. We demonstrate that protein- and nutrient-enriched astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) accelerates neuronal differentiation with enlarged neuronal layer and the overproduction of deep-layer cortical neurons. We captured the elevated changes in the functional activity of neuronal networks within ACM-treated organoids using comprehensive electrophysiological recordings. Furthermore, astrocyte-secreted cues can induce lipid droplet accumulation in neural cultures, offering protective effects in neural differentiation to withstand cellular stress. Together, these data indicate the potential of astrocyte secretions to promote neural maturation. Subject terms: Neurological models, Neuronal development
For neural and pancreatic differentiation of mouse and human ES and iPS cells
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BrainPhysâ„¢ Neuronal Medium
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