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We will critically look at the usefulness of organotypic cultures in studying small functional networks under normal and pathological conditions. We will demonstrate that the breathing oscillator remains functional in cultures of the mouse brainstem. Properties of respiratory neurons and their interactions can be studied while this network continues to produce a rhythmic output long after the rest of the brain has stopped working.

Brain function arises from interaction between neurons in small and massively large networks. How do we study and understand those interactions, when neuronal networks are buried deep inside the brain, beyond the reach of our most sensitive instruments? One solution is to remove the network and the neurons from the brain itself, while keeping them alive and functional under culture conditions. 

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