Effects of Ni2+ on spontaneous neocortical network activity in rat brain slices

Author : Chen Meng

Abstract : In recent years, the clinical use of nickel-based alloy implants in neurosurgery has expanded significantly, raising growing concern about the neurotoxic potential of Ni2+ leached from these devices. While numerous patch-clamp studies have established that Ni2+ suppresses intrinsic excitability of individual neurons primarily by blocking T-type Ca2+ channels, the impact of Ni2+ on emergent network-level dynamics remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we employed microelectrode array (MEA) recordings to quantify changes in spontaneous activity within the neocortical networks of acute rat brain slices before and after short-term (< 70 min), 500 μM Ni2+ exposure. We found that, under these conditions, Ni2+ did not significantly alter global firing rate, bursting rate, or firing rate in burst. In contrast, Ni2+ markedly shortened burst duration, reduced the number of spikes in burst, and decreased the percent of spikes in bursts—indicating a disruption of burst-associated network activity without abolishing overall spiking output.

Keywords : Burst, microelectrode array (MEA), neuronal network, Ni2+, spontaneous activity.

Conference Name : International Conference on Neurology and Neurotoxicity (ICNANT-26)

Conference Place : Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Conference Date : 22nd Apr 2026