TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond a Transmission Cable—New Technologies to Reveal the Richness in Axonal Electrophysiology
AU - Mateus, J. C.
AU - Sousa, M. M.
AU - Burrone, J.
AU - Aguiar, P.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partially funded by national funds through Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the project PTDC/NAN-MAT/4093/2021. J.C.M. was supported by FCT (PD/BD/135491/2018) in the scope of the BiotechHealth PhD Program (Doctoral Program on Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Applied to Health Sciences).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Society for Neuroscience. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/3/13
Y1 - 2024/3/13
N2 - The axon is a neuronal structure capable of processing, encoding, and transmitting information. This assessment contrasts with a limiting, but deeply rooted, perspective where the axon functions solely as a transmission cable of somatodendritic activity, sending signals in the form of stereotypical action potentials. This perspective arose, at least partially, because of the technical difficulties in probing axons: their extreme length-to-diameter ratio and intricate growth paths preclude the study of their dynamics through traditional techniques. Recent findings are challenging this view and revealing a much larger repertoire of axonal computations. Axons display complex signaling processes and structure–function relationships, which can be modulated via diverse activity-dependent mechanisms. Additionally, axons can exhibit patterns of activity that are dramatically different from those of their corresponding soma. Not surprisingly, many of these recent discoveries have been driven by novel technology developments, which allow for in vitro axon electrophysiology with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. In this review, we outline the state-of-the-art in vitro toolset for axonal electrophysiology and summarize the recent discoveries in axon function it has enabled. We also review the increasing repertoire of microtechnologies for controlling axon guidance which, in combination with the available cutting-edge electrophysiology and imaging approaches, have the potential for more controlled and high-throughput in vitro studies. We anticipate that a larger adoption of these new technologies by the neuroscience community will drive a new era of experimental opportunities in the study of axon physiology and consequently, neuronal function.
AB - The axon is a neuronal structure capable of processing, encoding, and transmitting information. This assessment contrasts with a limiting, but deeply rooted, perspective where the axon functions solely as a transmission cable of somatodendritic activity, sending signals in the form of stereotypical action potentials. This perspective arose, at least partially, because of the technical difficulties in probing axons: their extreme length-to-diameter ratio and intricate growth paths preclude the study of their dynamics through traditional techniques. Recent findings are challenging this view and revealing a much larger repertoire of axonal computations. Axons display complex signaling processes and structure–function relationships, which can be modulated via diverse activity-dependent mechanisms. Additionally, axons can exhibit patterns of activity that are dramatically different from those of their corresponding soma. Not surprisingly, many of these recent discoveries have been driven by novel technology developments, which allow for in vitro axon electrophysiology with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. In this review, we outline the state-of-the-art in vitro toolset for axonal electrophysiology and summarize the recent discoveries in axon function it has enabled. We also review the increasing repertoire of microtechnologies for controlling axon guidance which, in combination with the available cutting-edge electrophysiology and imaging approaches, have the potential for more controlled and high-throughput in vitro studies. We anticipate that a larger adoption of these new technologies by the neuroscience community will drive a new era of experimental opportunities in the study of axon physiology and consequently, neuronal function.
KW - axon computations
KW - axon electrophysiology
KW - axon guidance
KW - functional imaging
KW - microelectrode arrays
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187697885&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1446-23.2023
DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1446-23.2023
M3 - Article
C2 - 38479812
AN - SCOPUS:85187697885
SN - 0270-6474
VL - 44
JO - Journal of Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Neuroscience
IS - 11
M1 - e1446232023
ER -