title: Imaging nervous system activity with voltage-sensitive dyes.
abstract: Optical recording with a voltage-sensitive dye is advantageous where membrane potential must be recorded in many sites at once. This unit describes methods for making voltage-sensitive dye measurements on different preparations to study (1) how a neuron integrates its synaptic input into its action potential output by measuring membrane potential everywhere synaptic input occurs and where spikes are initiated; (2) how a nervous system generates a behavior in Aplysia abdominal ganglion; and (3) responses to sensory stimuli and generation of motor output in the vertebrate brain by simultaneous measurement of population signals from many areas. The approach is three-pronged: (1) find the dye with the largest signal-to-noise ratio; (2) reduce extraneous sources of noise; and (3) maximize the number of photons measured to reduce the relative shot noise. A discussion of optical recording methods including the choice of dyes, light sources, optics, cameras, and minimizing noise is also provided.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Dejan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zecevic
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djurisic
authors.forename: Lawrence B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Srdjan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Antic
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wachowiak
authors.forename: Chun X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.forename: Michal R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zochowski
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000379:methods*; D017785:Photons; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents