Long-Term Dynamical Constraints on Pharmacologically Evoked Potentiation Imply Activity Conservation within In Vitro Hippocampal Networks

This paper describes a long-term study of network dynamics from in vitro, cultured hippocampal neurons after a pharmacological induction of synaptic potentiation. We plate a suspension of hippocampal neurons on an array of extracellular electrodes and record electrical activity in the absence of the drugs several days after treatment. While previous studies have reported on potentiation lasting up to a few hours after treatment, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to characterize the network effects of a potentiating mechanism several days after treatment. Using this reduced, two-dimensional in vitro network of hippocampal neurons, we show that the effects of potentiation are persistent over time but are modulated under a conservation of spike principle. We suggest that this conservation principle might be mediated by the appearance of a resonant inter-spike interval that prevents the network from advancing towards a state of hyperexcitability.