Engineering brain-on-a-chip platforms

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as Alzheimer disease and schizophrenia, necessitates the development of new research tools to investigate these diseases and develop effective treatments. Thus, in vitro brain models, such as brain-on-a-chip devices, have been developed to mimic in vivo biochemical and mechanobiological interactions and to monitor their electrochemical activity. In this Review, we discuss the technologies to build complex brain models. We discuss progress in microfluidic and semiconductor-based technologies that facilitate in vitro modelling of the blood–brain barrier and neuronal circuits to study pathophysiological processes. We furth..