Evaluation of voltage-sensitive dyes for long-term recording of neural activity in the hippocampus.
We searched for an optimal voltage-sensitive dye for optical measurements of neural activity in the hippocampal slice by evaluating several merocyanine-rhodanine and oxonol dyes. The wavelength dependence (action spectra), pharmacological effects of staining, signal size, signal-to-noise ratio, and the utility of the dyes for long-term continuous recording were examined for four merocyanine-rhodanine dyes (NK2761, NK2776, NK3224 and NK3225), which had been reported to be optimal in embryonic nervous systems, and for two oxonol dyes (NK3630 (RH482) and NK3041 (RH155)), which have been among the most popular potentiometric probes for the hippocampal slice preparation. NK2761, NK3224 and NK3225 provided large signal-to-noise ratios, and proved to be useful for optical recordings lasting several hours. NK3630 was most suitable for long-term recording, although the signal-to-noise ratio was slightly inferior to that of the merocyanine-rhodanines. Using NK3630 (RH482) on the hippocampal slice preparation, we demonstrate here that long-term potentiation can be monitored stably for more than 8 hr.
Momose-Sato
Y
Y
Department of Physiology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
Sato
K
K
Arai
Y
Y
Yazawa
I
I
Mochida
H
H
Kamino
K
K
D000818:Animals; D001463:Barbiturates; D001583:Benzoxazoles; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012236:Rhodanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D053778:Thiazolidines; D013997:Time Factors
D001463:Barbiturates; D001583:Benzoxazoles; D004396:Coloring Agents; D053778:Thiazolidines; C019029:oxonol dyes (barbiturate); C025279:merocyanine-rhodanine; D012236:Rhodanine