Fig. 1: Experimental set-up.

Using micromachining and replica molding techniques, we fabricated soft PDMS substrates for cell culture and growth. The elasticity of the substrates was varied in the \(0.55-2.65{MPa}\) interval (a). After detachment from the originating template (b) PDMS surfaces were incubated with primary neuronal cells (c) and placed on the stage of a fluorescence microscopy for investigation and analysis (d). Fluorescence images of cells were processed using networks science, topology analysis, and information theory techniques (e). For each considered value of elasticity, we determined the topological attributes of neuronal cell networks forming on the substrates over time, made and estimate of the amount of information exchanged in the net, and measured cell activity (f).