Neuronal network structural connectivity estimation by probabilistic features and graph heat kernels

Simona Ullo, Umberto Castellani, Diego Sona, Alessio Del Bue, Alessandro Maccione, Luca Berdondini, Vittorio Murino

Abstract: It is well proven that the functional electrophysiological behavior of in-vitro neuronal networks is influenced by the structural connectivity. Thus, the automatic extraction of the topology in large assemblies of interconnected neurons can be a valuable tool for investigating the basic mechanisms underlying high-level cognitive functions. In this paper we propose a method for estimating the structural connectivity of neuronal networks from multimodal datasets combining high-resolution Multi-Electrode Arrays (MEA) and fluorescence microscopy. Probabilistic directional features are used in a graph heat kernel framework to identify the structural connectivity of the neuronal network. Electrode connectivity maps are computed as weighted graphs in which the edge weights represent the strength of the structural connection.