Abstract
This chapter describes a novel approach to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of electrical activity in nervous systems. Using voltage-sensitive dyes and an electro-optical measuring system, it has recently become possible to monitor electrical activity simultaneously from multiple sites on the processes of single nerve cells, either in culture or in an intact central nervous system (CNS) in vitro, to detect the activity of many individual neurons controlling a behavioral response in invertebrate ganglia, or to follow the activity of populations of neurons at many neighboring loci in mammalian brain slices or in the intact brain. Employing optical recordings and a display processor, the images of nerve cells light up on a TV monitor when they are electrically active. Thus, the spread of electrical activity can literally be visualized in slow motion. This chapter describes recent progress in the implementation of this new technique.
Published Version
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