Addition of glutamate to serum-free culture promotes recovery of electrical activity in adult hippocampal neurons in vitro

A long-term cell culture system utilizing normal adult hippocampal neurons would represent an important tool that could be useful in research on the mature brain, neurological disorders and age-related neurological diseases. Historically, in vitro neuronal systems are derived from embryonic rather than mature brain tissue, a practice predicated upon difficulties in supporting regeneration, functional recovery and long-term survival of adult neurons in vitro. A few studies have shown that neurons derived from the hippocampal tissue of adult rats can survive and regenerate in vitro under serum-free conditions. However, while the adult neurons regenerated morphologically under these conditions, both the electrical activity characteristic of in vivo neurons as well as long-term neuronal survival was not consistently recovered in vitro. In this study, we report on the development of a defined culture system with the ability to support functional recovery and long-term survival of adult rat hippocampal neurons. In this system, the cell-adhesive substrate, N-1 [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl]-diethylenetriamine, supported neuronal attachment, regeneration, and long-term survival of adult neurons for more than 80 days in vitro. Additionally, the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, applied at 25 μM for 1-7 days after morphological neuronal regeneration in vitro, enabled full recovery of neuronal electrical activity. This low concentration of glutamate promoted the recovery of neuronal electrical activity but with minimal excitotoxicity. These improvements allowed electrically active adult neurons to survive in vitro for several months, providing a stable test-bed for the long-term study of regeneration in adult-derived neuronal systems, especially for traumatic brain injury (TBI).