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Final version is out: @SantoshManicka cell.com/cell-reports-p… "Field-mediated bioelectric basis of morphogenetic prepatterning" #morphogenesis #bioelectricity #fields "Intercellular bioelectric communication plays an important role in morphogenesis, often modeled using localized non-neural networks generating spatial patterns of membrane potential (Vmem). Here, we find that the electrostatic field contributes to this process, via a synergetics (à la Haken)-based mechanism, by enhancing the complexity of Vmem patterns through a coarse-grained projection. We leverage this property of the field to automatically optimize transient signals from a symmetry-breaking organizer region in the boundary of the tissue to mold Vmem patterns in the bulk. Two models optimized in this way exhibit contrasting “mosaic” and “stigmergic” pattern-coding strategies, depending on their field sensitivity strengths. Interestingly, the stigmergic model recapitulates the qualitative developmental sequence of the bioelectric craniofacial prepattern observed in frog embryos. These results highlight the potential of the electric field both as a facilitator of collective patterning and as a macroscale interventional target for applications in regenerative medicine and bioengineering."