Combining Membrane Potential Imaging with Other Optical Techniques

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2015:859:103-25. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-17641-3_4.

Abstract

Membrane potential imaging using voltage-sensitive dyes can be combined with other optical techniques for a variety of applications. Combining voltage imaging with Ca2+ imaging allows correlating membrane potential changes with intracellular Ca2+ signals or with Ca2+ currents. Combining voltage imaging with uncaging techniques allows analyzing electrical signals elicited by photorelease of a particular molecule. This approach is also a useful tool to calibrate the change in fluorescence intensity in terms of membrane potential changes from different sites permitting spatial mapping of electrical activity. Finally, combining voltage imaging with optogenetics, in particular with channelrhodopsin stimulation, opens the gate to novel investigations of brain circuitries by allowing measurements of synaptic signals mediated by specific sets of neurons. Here we describe in detail the methods of membrane potential imaging in combination with other optical techniques and discus some important applications.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Calcium Signaling / physiology*
  • Channelrhodopsins
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
  • Glutamic Acid / metabolism
  • Membrane Potentials / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Nerve Net / ultrastructure
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Neurons / ultrastructure
  • Optical Imaging / instrumentation
  • Optical Imaging / methods
  • Optogenetics / instrumentation
  • Optogenetics / methods
  • Single-Cell Analysis / instrumentation
  • Single-Cell Analysis / methods
  • Synapses / physiology*
  • Synapses / ultrastructure
  • Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging / instrumentation
  • Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging / methods

Substances

  • Channelrhodopsins
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Glutamic Acid
  • Calcium