Cosyne 2008 Workshops
March 3-4, 2008
Snow Bird, Utah
Speaker Name
Thomas Knopfel
Talk Title
Targeted optical probing of neuronal circuit dynamics using fluorescent protein sensors
Talk Abstract
Interest in noninvasive methods for optical probing of neuronal electrical activity has been ongoing for several decades and methods for imaging the activity of single or multiple individual neurons in networks composed of thousands of neurons have been developed. Most widely used are techniques that use organic chemistry-based dyes as indicators of calcium and membrane potential. More recently a new generation of probes, genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensors, have emerged for probing the operation of neuronal circuits. I will describe and discuss the advance of these emerging optical techniques and compare them with more conventional approaches.
