Magnetite-Amyloid-β deteriorates activity and functional organization in an in vitro model for Alzheimer's disease

The understanding of the key mechanisms behind human brain deterioration in Alzheimer' disease (AD) is a highly active field of research. The most widespread hypothesis considers a cascade of events initiated by amyloid-beta peptide fibrils that ultimately lead to the formation of the lethal amyloid plaques. Recent studies have shown that other agents, in particular magnetite, can also play a pivotal role. To shed light on the action of magnetite and amyloid-beta in the deterioration of neuronal circuits, we investigated their capacity to alter spontaneous activity patterns in cultured neuronal networks. Using a versatile experimental platform that allows the parallel monitoring of several cultures, the activity in controls was compared with the one in cultures dosed with magnetite, amyloid-beta and magnetite-amyloid-beta complex. A prominent degradation in spontaneous activity was observed solely when amyloid-beta and magnetite acted together. Our work suggests that magnetite nanoparticles have a more prominent role in AD than previously thought, and may bring new insights in the understanding of the damaging action of magnetite-amyloid-beta complex. Our experimental system also offers new interesting perspectives to explore key biochemical players in neurological disorders through a controlled, model system manner.