A Simple Ca2+-Imaging Approach of Network-Activity Analyses for Human Neurons

Zijun Sun

doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-3287-1_20

A Simple Ca²⁺-Imaging Approach of Network-Activity Analyses for Human Neurons

Methods Mol Biol. 2023:2683:247-258. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3287-1_20.

Author

Zijun Sun^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. sunzijun@stanford.edu.
² Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. sunzijun@stanford.edu.

PMID: 37300781
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3287-1_20

Abstract

Rapid advances in light microscopy and development of all-optical electrophysiological imaging tools have greatly leveraged the speed and the depth of neurobiology studies. Calcium imaging is a common method that is useful for measuring calcium signals in cells and has been used as a functional proxy for neuronal activity. Here I describe a simple, stimulation-free approach that measures neuronal network activity and single-neuron dynamics in human neurons. This protocol provides the experimental workflow that includes step-wise illustrations of sample preparations, data processing, and analyses that can be used for quick phenotypical assessment and serves as a quick functional readout for mutagenesis or screen effort for neurodegenerative studies.

Keywords: Automated image analysis; Ca2+-imaging; Human neuron; Matlab; Network activity.

MeSH terms

Calcium*
Electrophysiological Phenomena
Humans
Neurons* / physiology
Optical Imaging / methods

Substances

Calcium