Prolog to "Growing Cells Atop Microelectronic Chips: Interfacing Electrogenic Cells In Vitro With CMOS-Based Microelectrode Arrays"

Abstract

To grasp the challenges and potentials faced, an overview of the fundamentals of recording electrical cell activity is in order. Many types of cells can undergo a transient electrical depolarization and repolarization, triggered by external mechanisms or by intracellular, spontaneous mechanisms. Cells that can generate electrical signals are called electrogenic cells. The most common types of electrogenic cells are brain cells (neurons) and heart cells (cardiomyocytes). The biology of electrogenic cells is complex, a symphonic interdependence of electrical, electrophysiological and biochemical processes. This requires an understanding of mechanisms underlying the functioning of voltage-gated ion channels, the generation of action potentials, and the conduction of action potentials through a cellular network.