title: Route to genetically targeted optical electrophysiology: development and applications of voltage-sensitive fluorescent proteins.
abstract: The invention of membrane voltage protein indicators widens the reach of optical voltage imaging in cell physiology, most notably neurophysiology, by enabling membrane voltage recordings from genetically defined cell types in chronic and life-long preparations. While the last years have seen a dramatic improvement in the technical performance of these indicators, concomitant innovations in optogenetics, optical axon tracing, and high-speed digital microscopy are beginning to fulfill the age-old vision of an all-optical analysis of neuronal circuits, reaching beyond the limits of traditional electrode-based recordings. We will present our personal account of the development of protein voltage indicators from the pioneering days to the present state, including their applications in neurophysiology that has inspired our own work for more than a decade.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, London W12 ONN, United Kingdom ; Institute of Biology, CNRS UMR 8197, École Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Walther
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Akemann
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, London W12 ONN, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Chenchen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Department of Neurophysiology, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mutoh
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Department of Medicine, London W12 ONN, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knöpfel
keywords: brain rhythms; cortex; electroencephalogram; optics; photonics; voltage imaging; voltage-sensitive fluorescent proteins