Growth of dissociated neurons in culture dishes coated with synthetic polymeric amines.

Polyornithine and polylysine, the most commonly used coating materials in the preparation of neuronal cultures, can be replaced by polyethyleneimine (PEI) and other synthetic polymeric amines. PEI supports attachment and growth of neurons from fetal rat brain equally well as polyornithine. Furthermore, differentiation of the cultured neurons, as judged by the expression of choline acetyltransferase and of binding sites for substance P, was very similar in cultures grown in dishes coated with PEI or polyornithine.