Description:
Graph theoretical approaches have become a powerful tool forinvestigating the architecture and dynamics of complex networks. The topologyof network graphs revealed small-world properties for very different realsystems among these neuronal networks. In this study, we observed the earlydevelopment of mouse retinal ganglion cell (RGC) networks in vitro using timelapsevideo microscopy. By means of a time-resolved graph theoretical analysisof the connectivity, shortest path length and the edge length, we were able todiscover the different stages during the network formation. Starting from singlecells, at the first stage neurons connected to each other ending up in a networkwith maximum complexity. In the further course, we observed a simplification ofthe network which manifested in a change of relevant network parameters suchas the minimization of the path length. Moreover, we found that RGC networksself-organized as small-world networks at both stages; however, the optimizationoccurred only in the second stage.