The brain is a complex 3-dimensional structure, the organization of which provides a local environment that directly influences the survival, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and plasticity of neurons. To probe the effects of damage and disease on these cells, a synthetic environment is needed. Three-dimensional culturing of stem cells, neural progenitors, and neurons within fabricated biomaterials has demonstrated superior biomimetic properties over conventional 2-dimensional cultureware, offering direct recapitulation of both cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Within this review we address the benefits of deploying biomaterials as advanced cell culture tools capable of influencing neuronal fate and as in vitro models of the native in vivo microenvironment. We highlight recent and promising biomaterials approaches toward understanding neural network and their function relevant to neurodevelopment and provide our perspective on how these materials can be engineered and programmed to study both the healthy and diseased nervous system.

大脑是一个复杂的三维结构，其组织提供了直接影响神经元生存、增殖、分化、迁移和可塑性的局部环境。为了探究损伤和疾病对这些细胞的影响，需要一个合成环境。与传统的二维培养器皿相比，在制造的生物材料中对干细胞、神经祖细胞和神经元进行三维培养已表现出优越的仿生特性，可直接重现细胞与细胞以及细胞与细胞外基质的相互作用。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了将生物材料用作能够影响神经元命运的先进细胞培养工具和作为天然体内微环境的体外模型的好处。我们重点介绍了最近有前景的生物材料方法，用于理解神经网络及其与神经发育相关的功能，并提供了我们对如何设计和编程这些材料以研究健康和患病神经系统的观点。