Comparison of rodent and human neuronal models of epilepsy in vitro
| Model | Cell source | Advantages | Disadvantages | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodents | ||||
| Primary neuronal cultures | Newborn or embryonic brain at late stages | • Affordability and ease of obtaining in a short time (weeks) • Preservation of functional neuronal phenotypes • Mouse genetic lines | • Rodent genotype • Rodent neuronal phenotype • Disordered connections between neurons | [15, 16, 30, 40] |
| Organotipic brain slices | Extracted brain of young animals | • Preservation of overall tissue architecture • Preservation of functional phenotypes of neurons • Mouse genetic lines | • Rodent genotype • Rodent neuronal phenotype • Post-traumatic reorganization of axons and synapses | [10, 11, 48, 72] |
| Human | ||||
| hiPSC-derived neuronal cultures | Stem cells from sick and healthy patients, often fibroblasts | • Human genotype • Donors with inherited disease phenotype and specific mutations | • Special requirements and limitations • Difficulty in differentiating functional neurons and neural networks • Long culturing time scale • Need to co-seed different neuronal subtypes and glia • Disordered, poor, or absent connections between neurons | [17, 18, 57, 61] |
| Organotipic brain slices | Brain surgery to excise the focus of epilepsy patients | • Human genotype • Donors with inherited disease phenotype and specific mutations • Preservation of overall tissue architecture • Preservation of functional phenotypes of neurons | • Special requirements and limitations • Fast degradation of neurons • Aged brain tissue • Reorganization of axons and synapses • History of treatment with drugs | [49–51, 73] |