title: Optical measurement of action potential activity in invertebrate ganglia.
abstract: Optical monitoring methods have reached the level of development where activity from a network of cells can be recorded in a minimally-dissected behaving animal. The spike activity in the buccal ganglion of Navanax was monitored during feeding and activity in the Aplysia abdominal ganglion was monitored during the gill-withdrawal reflex. Approximately 30 neurons in the Navanax buccal ganglion were active during feeding and between 250 and 400 neurons in the Aplysia abdominal ganglion were active during the gill-withdrawal reflex. A reasonably complete understanding of the neuronal basis of the gill withdrawal may not be possible with presently available scientific methods. Substantial improvements in signal-to-noise ratio in optical measurements will be necessary before the majority of synaptic potentials can be detected optically. Understanding circuits that involve more than a few neurons will be a challenge to neurobiologists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Höpp
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: London
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005724:Ganglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D055095:Optics and Photonics
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents