Neuronal Activity Monitoring Services
Understanding the brain requires deciphering the complex language of neuronal communication. Neuronal activity—the rapid symphony of electrical spikes and chemical signals—underpins all aspects of cognition, behavior, and physiology. Monitoring this activity provides a direct readout of neural circuit function, network dynamics, and the impact of therapeutic interventions or disease states.
Creative Biolabs provides a state-of-the-art suite of Neuronal Activity Monitoring Services, offering unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution. We leverage cutting-edge technologies to capture dynamic functional data from in vitro cultures (including iPSC-derived neurons and organoids) to in vivo models. Our end-to-end platform empowers researchers to accelerate drug discovery, validate disease models, and unravel the fundamental mechanisms of the nervous system.
What is Neuronal Activity Monitoring?
Neuronal Activity Monitoring is the direct, real-time measurement of the dynamic processes that define brain function. It encompasses a sophisticated suite of techniques used to observe and quantify the precise "language" of the nervous system.
At its core, this involves capturing the functional signals that neurons use to communicate. This includes:
- Electrical Signals: Measuring action potentials, which are the primary units of information transfer, as well as sub-threshold membrane potential changes.
- Biochemical Proxies: Visualizing intracellular signal cascades, most commonly calcium transients (Ca2+), which serve as a highly reliable proxy for neuronal firing and synaptic activity.
- Network Dynamics: Analyzing how large populations of neurons coordinate their activity into complex, emergent patterns, such as synchronous bursts and brain-wave-like oscillations.
Discover how our technologies fit your workflow
Contact us to discuss assay options and pricingKey Features of Our Neuronal Activity Monitoring Service
Multi-Modal Monitoring Platforms
We uniquely integrate high-resolution optical imaging (calcium & voltage) with high-density microelectrode arrays (HD-MEA), allowing for a comprehensive, multi-faceted view of neural network function from the same biological sample.
High Spatio-Temporal Resolution
Capture neural signals with millisecond-level precision to resolve individual action potentials and sub-threshold events, while achieving subcellular spatial resolution to pinpoint activity origins within complex circuits.
Physiologically Relevant Models
Our services are fully compatible with a wide array of advanced models, including primary neurons, patient-derived iPSCs, co-cultures (neuron-glia), and complex 3D brain organoids, ensuring clinically and biologically relevant data.
Integrated Optogenetic Manipulation
Go beyond observation. We combine activity monitoring with precise optogenetic stimulation, enabling causal interrogation of circuit function by activating or inhibiting specific cell populations while recording the network-wide consequences.
AI-Powered Quantitative Analysis
Leverage our proprietary, machine-learning-driven analysis pipelines for unbiased, high-throughput data processing. We deliver robust, quantitative endpoints, from spike train analysis and network connectivity mapping to complex oscillatory pattern detection.
End-to-End Customization & Expert Support
Every project is tailored to your specific research question. From assay design to custom analysis, you receive dedicated support and consultation from our PhD-level neuroscientists at every step.
Advanced Platforms for Neuronal Activity Monitoring
We integrate the latest advancements in optical imaging, electrophysiology, and data science to provide a multi-modal assessment of neuronal function.
High-Resolution Optical Imaging (Functional Imaging)
Our optical imaging platform provides real-time visualization of neural dynamics by pairing advanced microscopy, such as two-photon and light-sheet systems, with cutting-edge genetically encoded sensors. We employ the latest GECIs (e.g., GCaMP series) and GEVIs (e.g., JEDI series) to capture everything from single-synapse calcium transients to network-wide voltage spike timing. This approach is highly effective for high-throughput drug screening and detailed mechanistic studies of dynamic neural processes.
High-Density Microelectrode Array (HD-MEA) Electrophysiology
Our HD-MEA platform delivers high-fidelity maps of network-level electrophysiology by recording from thousands of electrodes simultaneously. Available in scalable formats (96/384-well) for high-throughput screening, this technology is ideal for safety pharmacology, assessing network connectivity, and detecting seizure-like activity. Our advanced spike sorting and network burst analysis pipelines provide deep, actionable insights from complex extracellular recordings.
All-Optical Stimulation & Recording (Optogenetics Integration)
We offer an integrated all-optical platform that combines precise optogenetic stimulation with simultaneous functional monitoring. By using actuators like Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) to perturb specific cells and circuits, we can concurrently record the downstream effects with calcium or voltage imaging. This powerful "perturb-and-observe" method is essential for establishing causality, mapping functional circuits, and investigating the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity (LTP/LTD).
Our End-to-End Service Workflow
We provide a comprehensive, transparent, and collaborative project workflow, ensuring your study is executed with the highest scientific standards from conception to data delivery.
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Project Scoping & Experimental Design
It begins with a deep scientific consultation. Our PhD-level neuroscientists partner with your team to define the key biological questions, whether it's quantifying compound efficacy, modeling a disease state, or validating a novel target. Together, we select the optimal biological model (e.g., patient-derived iPSC neurons, 3D brain organoids) and determine the most powerful monitoring modality (e.g., HD-MEA for network synchrony, GEVIs for spike timing) to achieve your specific endpoints.
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Model Preparation & Assay Validation
Following the experimental design, our team prepares the biological system. This may involve differentiating iPSC lines into specific neuronal subtypes (e.g., cortical, dopaminergic), establishing complex co-cultures, or transducing cultures with our validated GECI/GEVI sensor constructs. We then perform rigorous assay validation and quality control, optimizing all parameters to ensure a robust, sensitive, and reproducible window for measuring neuronal activity.
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High-Fidelity Data Acquisition
Your study is executed on our state-of-the-art platforms. For screening projects, compounds are applied via automated liquid handling, and network activity is captured using high-throughput HD-MEA or high-content imaging systems. For deep mechanistic studies, we leverage advanced platforms like two-photon or light-sheet microscopy to capture high-resolution temporal and spatial dynamics. All data is acquired with meticulous attention to protocol and data integrity.
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Advanced Computational Analysis & Feature Extraction
Raw data—often terabytes of imaging files or multi-channel electrophysiology recordings—is processed through our proprietary computational pipelines. We move beyond simple metrics to perform sophisticated feature extraction, including precise spike sorting, network burst quantification, conduction velocity mapping, oscillatory power analysis, and functional connectivity mapping. Machine learning algorithms can be deployed to uncover subtle, complex phenotypic signatures that differentiate treatment groups or disease models.
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Comprehensive Data Delivery & Scientific Consultation
You receive a publication-ready final report that goes far beyond raw numbers. It includes a detailed methodology, all primary and processed data, and comprehensive statistical analysis. Crucially, it features an in-depth scientific interpretation of the findings, contextualizing the results and their implications for your project. We conclude with a final consultation to review the data, answer your questions, and support your project's next steps.
Applications of Neuronal Activity Monitoring
Our services provide critical functional readouts that are essential for advancing modern neuroscience research and development. We apply our cutting-edge platforms to solve key challenges in these domains:
Figure 1. High-throughput brain activity mapping in zebrafish larvae.1,5
Neuropharmacology & High-Throughput Drug Discovery
We enable a paradigm shift from traditional target-based screening to more physiologically relevant, high-throughput phenotypic screening. By culturing human iPSC-derived cortical or motor neurons on high-density 384-well MEA platforms, we can assess how hundreds of compounds affect complex neural network behavior, not just a single receptor. Using AI-driven analysis, we identify subtle, multiparametric signatures of compound activity—such as changes in network burst synchrony, oscillatory power, or firing patterns—to classify drugs by their true mechanism of action (MoA) and uncover novel therapeutic candidates.
Figure 2. Brain organoid immunofluorescence.2,5
Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling & Therapeutic Validation
We move beyond the limitations of 2D cultures by modeling diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS in 3D human brain organoids derived from patient iPSCs. These complex, self-organizing structures recapitulate tissue-level architecture. Using advanced two-photon or light-sheet microscopy with genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs), we perform deep-tissue volumetric imaging to capture pathogenic network dynamics in real-time. This allows us to measure hallmark disease phenotypes—such as the network hyperexcitability in Alzheimer’s models or dopaminergic pacemaker dysregulation in Parkinson's models—and validate a therapeutic's ability to rescue this dysfunction.
Figure 3. Frequency histogram and raster plot of a representative MEA recording.3,5
Predictive Neurotoxicity & Safety Pharmacology
Our HD-MEA platform offers a highly sensitive, predictive assay for assessing neurotoxicity and pro-convulsant risk, supporting the principles of the ICH S7A guideline. By detecting subtle, sub-threshold changes in firing rates, network synchrony, and burst patterns in human iPSC-derived cortical networks, we can flag potential neurofunctional liabilities far earlier and more accurately than traditional assays. This approach can also differentiate between acute functional toxicity (e.g., neuronal silencing) and chronic structural toxicity by correlating functional readouts with impedance-based measurements of cell viability over time.
Figure 4. Simultaneous All-Optical Stimulation and Functional Monitoring.4,5
All-Optical Circuit Mapping & Synaptic Plasticity Studies
We provide sophisticated "all-optical" interrogation to map functional circuits and study the mechanisms of learning and memory. By co-expressing optogenetic actuators in specific pre-synaptic populations and genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) in post-synaptic targets, we can precisely stimulate inputs with light and simultaneously record the resulting sub-threshold and supra-threshold (action potential) responses. This powerful, high-resolution method enables the unambiguous mapping of functional connectivity and the controlled induction and measurement of synaptic plasticity (LTP/LTD).
Why Choose Creative Biolabs?
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Cutting-Edge Technology
We invest heavily in the latest platforms, including 2P microscopy, light-sheet systems, and high-density MEAs, ensuring your data is of the highest quality.
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Robust & Validated Models
We offer a comprehensive library of characterized iPSC-derived neuronal models for various CNS diseases.
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Customization & Flexibility
We don't offer one-size-fits-all solutions. We tailor every study, from compound screening protocols to bespoke data analysis pipelines.
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Integrated Expertise
Our team consists of experts in stem cell biology, electrophysiology, advanced microscopy, and computational neuroscience, providing integrated support for your project.
Our Trusted Partners
Frequently Asked Questions
References
1. Lin, Xudong, et al. “High-Throughput Brain Activity Mapping and Machine Learning as a Foundation for Systems Neuropharmacology.” Nature Communications, vol. 9, no. 1, Dec. 2018, p. 5142. DOI.org, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07289-5.
2. Pain, Bertrand, et al. “Cerebral Organoids and Their Potential for Studies of Brain Diseases in Domestic Animals.” Veterinary Research, vol. 52, no. 1, Dec. 2021, p. 65. DOI.org, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-021-00931-z.
3. Zwartsen, Anne, et al. “Neurotoxicity Screening of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Effects on Neuronal Activity in Rat Cortical Cultures Using Microelectrode Arrays (MEA).” NeuroToxicology, vol. 66, May 2018, pp. 87–97. DOI.org, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2018.03.007.
4. LaFosse, Paul K., et al. “Bicistronic Expression of a High-Performance Calcium Indicator and Opsin for All-Optical Stimulation and Imaging at Cellular Resolution.” Eneuro, vol. 10, no. 3, Mar. 2023, p. ENEURO.0378-22.2023. DOI.org, https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0378-22.2023.
5. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
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