Quick Facts
| Feature | Information |
|---|
| Medium Type | Serum-free basal medium |
| Original Developer | Gibco (Thermo Fisher Scientific) |
| Best For | Long-term neuronal culture |
| Typical Base Supplement | B-27™ Plus Supplement |
| Additional Supplement | GlutaMAX™ |
| Growth Type Supported | Post-mitotic neurons |
| Storage | 2-8°C, protected from light |
Overview
Neurobasal™ Plus Medium is an improved formulation of the original Neurobasal Medium designed to enhance neuronal survival, long-term health, and experimental reproducibility. It is optimized for serum-free culture of primary and stem cell-derived neurons and has become a preferred medium for long-term neuronal maintenance and functional neuroscience studies.
Compared with the original Neurobasal formulation, Neurobasal™ Plus supports healthier neuronal networks, allows less frequent medium changes, and performs particularly well in long-duration experiments involving electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and disease modeling.
Key Features
- Enhanced neuronal survival and viability
- Improved long-term neuronal maintenance
- Reduced experimental variability
- Longer intervals between media changes
- Optimized for functional neuronal assays
- Compatible with primary and iPSC-derived neurons
Typical Supplements
| Supplement | Purpose |
|---|
| B-27™ Plus | Neuronal survival and maturation |
| GlutaMAX™ | Stable glutamine source |
| Penicillin-Streptomycin | Antibiotic |
| BDNF | Neuronal maturation |
| GDNF | Dopaminergic neuron survival |
| CNTF | Neuronal support |
| Ascorbic Acid | Antioxidant support |
Common Applications
Primary Neurons
- Cortical neurons
- Hippocampal neurons
- Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons
Stem Cell-Derived Neurons
- iPSC-derived neurons
- Dopaminergic neurons
- Motor neurons
Functional Neuroscience
- Synapse formation
- Calcium imaging
- Patch-clamp electrophysiology
- Multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings
- Live-cell imaging
Disease Modeling
- Alzheimer's disease
- Parkinson's disease
- ALS
- Neurotoxicity studies
- Drug screening
Organoid Research
- Brain organoids
- Cortical organoids
- Neuronal maturation stages
Advantages
- Improved neuronal survival compared with Neurobasal
- Excellent for long-term culture
- Supports mature neuronal function
- Reduced media change frequency
- Highly reproducible
- Well suited for iPSC-derived neuronal models
Limitations
- More expensive than Neurobasal Medium
- Proprietary formulation
- Requires specialized supplements
- Not intended for rapidly dividing cell types
Comparison with Related Media
| Medium | Best Suited For |
|---|
| Neurobasal™ Plus | Long-term neuronal maintenance and functional assays |
| Neurobasal | Routine primary neuronal culture |
| DMEM/F-12 | Neural stem cells, progenitors and glial cells |
| Neurobasal + DMEM/F-12 | Brain organoid and neural differentiation workflows |
References
- Thermo Fisher Scientific. Gibco™ Neurobasal™ Plus Medium Product Information.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific. Gibco™ B-27™ Plus Supplement User Guide.
- Freshney RI. Culture of Animal Cells: A Manual of Basic Technique and Specialized Applications.