Unlike other tissue types, the nervous tissue extends to a wide and complex environment that provides a plurality of different biochemical and topological stimuli, which in turn defines the advanced functions of that tissue. As a consequence of such complexity, the traditional transplantation therapeutic methods are quite ineffective; therefore, the restoration of peripheral and central nervous system injuries has been a continuous scientific challenge. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in the nervous system have provided new alternative medical approaches. These methods use external biomaterial supports, known as scaffolds, to create platforms for the cells to migrate to the injury site and repair the tissue. The challenge in neural tissue engineering (NTE) remains the fabrication of scaffolds with precisely controlled, tunable topography, biochemical cues, and surface energy, capable of directing and controlling the function of neuronal cells toward the recovery from neurological disorders and injuries. At the same time, it has been shown that NTE provides the potential to model neurological diseases in vitro, mainly via lab-on-a-chip systems, especially in cases for which it is difficult to obtain suitable animal models. As a consequence of the intense research activity in the field, a variety of synthetic approaches and 3D fabrication methods have been developed for the fabrication of NTE scaffolds, including soft lithography and self-assembly, as well as subtractive (top-down) and additive (bottom-up) manufacturing. This article aims at reviewing the existing research effort in the rapidly growing field related to the development of biomaterial scaffolds and lab-on-a-chip systems for NTE applications. Besides presenting recent advances achieved by NTE strategies, this work also delineates existing limitations and highlights emerging possibilities and future prospects in this field.

与其他组织类型不同，神经组织延伸到一个广泛而复杂的环境，该环境提供了多种不同的生化和拓扑刺激，进而定义了该组织的高级功能。由于这种复杂性，传统的移植治疗方法非常无效。因此，恢复周围和中枢神经系统损伤一直是持续的科学挑战。神经系统中的组织工程和再生医学提供了新的替代医学方法。这些方法使用外部生物材料支架（称为支架）来创建平台，使细胞迁移到损伤部位并修复组织。神经组织工程（NTE）面临的挑战仍然是制造具有精确控制，可调的地形，生化线索和表面能，能够指导和控制神经元细胞的功能，以实现神经系统疾病和损伤的恢复。同时，已经表明NTE提供了模拟神经系统疾病的潜力在体外，主要是通过芯片实验室系统，尤其是在难以获得合适的动物模型的情况下。由于该领域的大量研究活动，已开发出多种用于NTE支架制造的合成方法和3D制造方法，包括软光刻和自组装以及减法（自顶向下）和添加剂（自下而上）制造。本文旨在回顾与NTE应用的生物材料支架和芯片实验室系统开发相关的快速发展领域中的现有研究成果。除了介绍NTE策略取得的最新进展外，这项工作还勾画了现有局限性，并突出了该领域的新兴潜力和未来前景。