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We present experiments on the effects of a periodic, global electric stimulation in rat hippocampal cultures. Cultures are typically 13 mm in diameter and have a density of about 1000 neurons/mm2. Cultures are excited through bath electrodes, stimulating the entire culture with a short, 20 ms pulse, periodically. Neuronal activity is monitored using calcium imaging and multielectrode arrays. Our goal is to investigate the influence of an excitation on the natural bursting frequency of the neuronal network. We tested both sub-threshold and super-threshold stimulation. While sub-threshold stimulation had no clear effect on network's bursting, we observed that long time, high frequency super-threshold excitation induced an increase in the natural frequency of the culture after stimulation ceased. The adaptability of the neuronal network to stimulation depended both on the strength and duration of the stimulation. The experiments open interesting possibilities to understand the influence of repeated stimulation of neuronal networks and their adaptability to external forcing. |
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