Search
Media solutions for consistent, healthy neuronal cultures
For over 30 years, neuroscience researchers have been conducting and publishing experiments using neurons cultured in neurobasal media [1]. Neurobasal medium allows for long-term maintenance of the normal phenotype and growth of neuronal cell cultures and maintains pure populations of neuronal cells without the need for an astrocyte feeder layer.
Key characteristics of Neurobasal media
- Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium is engineered to support consistent neuronal activity and exceptional cell health over extended culture periods, helping you move beyond short-term observations to deeper biological insights.
- Neurobasal Plus Medium is the enhanced version of the classic neuronal cell culture medium, optimized to enable the highest in vitro survival of primary and stem cell-derived neurons when used with B-27 Plus Supplement.
- Neurobasal Medium is the classic formulation used by neuroscientists for over 30 years. This neuronal cell culture medium supports long-term maintenance and maturation of pre-natal and fetal neuronal cell cultures without the need for an astrocyte feeder layer.
- Neurobasal-A Medium is a neuronal cell culture medium designed to support long-term cultures of post-natal and adult primary neurons without the need for an astrocyte feeder layer.
Which neurobasal medium best fits my application?
Thermo Fisher Scientific offers several serum-free Gibco neurobasal medium options to suit your neuronal cell culture and neuroscience experiment needs:
| Cell type/application | Classic formula |
Advanced formula |
Pre-natal and fetal primary neurons |
||
Post-natal and adult brain neurons |
Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium | |
Maturation and maintenance of PSC-derived neurons |
||
Neural stem cells |
||
Analysis of neurons where the presence of phenol red is undesired |
Neurobasal Medium without Phenol Red or Neurobasal-A Medium without Phenol Red |
|
Post-natal neurons needing custom-level nutrients |
||
| Cell therapy manufacturing applications | CTS Neurobasal Medium or CTS Neurobasal-A Medium |
More physiologically relevant neuronal cultures without compromising cell health
Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium is an advanced neuronal culture medium designed to better reflect key aspects of the CNS extracellular environment while supporting healthy, functional neurons over extended culture periods.
With a physiologically informed formulation, Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium helps researchers achieve earlier and sustained neuronal activity, robust cell health, and more meaningful functional performance.
Support earlier and sustained neuronal activity
Generate neuronal cultures with dependable functional activity that can be maintained over extended experimental timelines. When used with B-27 Plus Supplement, Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium supports:
- Earlier onset of spontaneous neuronal activity
- A higher proportion of electrically active neurons
- Sustained neuronal activity during long-term culture
- Stable neuronal network activity for functional assays
Figure 1. Neuronal activity and network formation assay (MEA) with PSC-derived neurons. Progenitors derived from rosette method were seeded (1.0 x 105 cells per 8 µL droplet per well) on MEA plates in differentiation medium for 5 days. After 5 days, medium was changed to Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium supplemented with B-27 Plus Supplement or Neurobasal Plus Medium with B-27 Plus Supplement. No growth factors were added to either condition. Spontaneous activity parameters were monitored for 38 days, including the number of active electrodes, mean firing rate (Hz), and synchrony (area under normalized cross-correlation). At day 38, both conditions had near equivalent levels of neuronal survival, yet the condition with Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium with B-27 Plus Supplement showed improved spontaneous activity characteristics for each parameter measured.
Create a more physiologically relevant culture environment
Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium is formulated to better reflect key aspects of the CNS extracellular environment while maintaining neuronal health and performance.
- Osmolarity more closely aligned with cerebrospinal fluid
- Physiologically informed glucose concentration
- Refined concentrations of neuroactive components, including amino acids
- Support for electrophysiological properties characteristic of healthy, mature neurons
Figure 2. Spontaneous neuronal activity measured by whole-cell patch-clamp recording. Rat cortical neurons were cultured for 26 days in (A) Neurobasal Medium with B-27 Supplement or (B) Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium with B-27 Plus Supplement. Spontaneous action potential (AP) firing was recorded in the respective culture medium before, during, and after exchange with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF). Neurons cultured in Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium showed higher spontaneous activity across recording conditions.
Neurons cultured in Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium exhibited electrophysiological properties consistent with more mature and functionally competent neurons compared with cultures maintained in traditional Neurobasal Medium (Table 1). The observed properties included:
- Larger membrane capacitance
- Lower input resistance
- More hyperpolarized resting membrane potential
- Greater spontaneous firing activity
- Increased burst firing behavior
These characteristics are commonly associated with increased neuronal maturity and enhanced functional development.
Table 1. Interrogation of electrophysiologic properties of cells cultured and recorded in distinct culture systems.*
Parameter |
Neurobasal PhysioPlus |
Neurobasal |
Capacitance |
73 ± 6 pF (22) |
44 ± 3 pF (29) |
Input resistance |
70 ± 8 MΩ (22) |
92 ± 8 MΩ (29) |
Resting membrane potential |
-60 ± 2 mV (22) |
-50 ± 3 mV (29) |
% neurons with RMP below -50 mV |
95% (21 of 22) |
72% (21 of 29) |
# spontaneous APs |
26.9 ± 7.9 (20) |
6.4 ± 5.9 (22) |
Firing rate |
0.15 ± 1.04 (20) |
0.04 ± 0.03 (22) |
# bursts |
2 ± 1 (21) |
0 ± 0 (22) |
% neurons bursting |
38% (8 of 21) |
0% (0 of 22) |
Rheobase |
314 ± 40 pA (16) |
152 ± 20 pA (23) |
*Rat cortical neurons (E18) were plated on a confluent monolayer of rat astrocytes and were cultured in Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium supplemented with B-27 Plus Supplement or Neurobasal Medium with B-27 Supplement for 26 days. At day 26, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in voltage-clamp mode and current-clamp mode to measure various electrophysiologic properties of neurons cultured in the different medium systems. Values are presented as mean ± SEM (n), where SEM is the standard error of the mean and n is the number of neurons analyzed.
Maintain healthy neurons over extended culture
Gain physiological relevance without sacrificing the neuronal health expected from the Neurobasal platform. Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium supports long-term maintenance of both primary and hPSC-derived neurons, enabling extended experimental timelines.
Use Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium for applications including:
- Neuronal maturation studies
- Disease modeling
- Neurotoxicity studies
- Longitudinal imaging
- Multielectrode array (MEA) assays
- Functional screening
Figure 3. Long-term survival of PSC-derived neurons. After 28 days, phase images demonstrate healthy neuronal cultures in Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium with intact cell bodies and significant neurite outgrowth while the condition with the BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium and SM1 kit shows degrading cell bodies. After neuronal induction, medium was changed to Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium supplemented with B-27 Plus Supplement or the BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium and SM1 Kit (STEMCELL Technologies). To assess the impact of neuronal culture systems on neuronal survival, the recommended growth factors for maturation were not included in the medium after day 5.
Achieve robust neuronal function
Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium supports healthy neuronal morphology and functional maturation, including neurite outgrowth, synapse formation, spontaneous action potential firing, and neuronal network development.
When evaluated with primary rat cortical neurons, Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium with B-27 Plus Supplement supported earlier and sustained electrical activity and stable network activity during long-term culture.
Designed for primary and hPSC-derived neurons
Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium can support a range of neuronal models, from primary rodent neurons to hPSC-derived neurons. For optimal performance, use with B-27 Plus Supplement.
Choose Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium without phenol red for imaging-sensitive applications or experiments where phenol red is undesired.
Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium is formulated to better reflect key aspects of the CNS extracellular environment, with physiologically informed glucose and neuroactive amino acid concentrations and an osmolarity more closely aligned with cerebrospinal fluid.
Neurobasal Plus Medium is a low-osmolality formulation designed to support improved neuronal survival. Neurobasal PhysioPlus Medium is formulated to more closely reflect the CNS extracellular environment while supporting neuronal health and function. When used with B-27 Plus Supplement, it supports earlier and sustained neuronal activity, long-term viability, and functional maturation.
Neurobasal Plus Medium
Neurobasal Plus Medium contains the same components as the classic Neurobasal Medium formulation, but the concentrations are optimized.
Compared to the original neurobasal medium formulation, key amino acids and buffering components have been optimized in Neurobasal Plus Medium. No small molecules or growth factors have been added. When used with B-27 Plus supplement, Neurobasal Plus Medium supports higher neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth compared to the classic Neurobasal Medium.
When used with B-27 Plus supplement, Neurobasal Plus Medium supports higher neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth compared to the classic Neurobasal Medium.
Figure 4. Comparison of Neurobasal and Neurobasal Plus media with matching supplements. Primary Rat Cortex Neurons (embryonic day 18) plated on Poly-D-Lysine and were cultured for up to three weeks in the listed medium and supplement, then fixed and immunostained for the neuronal protein MAP2 (green) on day 7, 14, or 21. Nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue).
Neurobasal Medium
Neurobasal Medium contains 25 mM D-glucose, 0.22 mM sodium pyruvate, amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, and other components. See the complete Neurobasal Medium formulation.
Neurobasal Medium is designed for pre-natal and fetal neuronal cell cultures. Neurobasal-A Medium is designed for growing post-natal and adult brain neuronal cultures. These two neuronal cell culture media differ only in osmolality.
Resources
Related pages
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.