Mar 2011 Visualizing neuronal activity

mouse_of_month_201103

Visualizing neuronal activity

Tg(aMHC-VSFP2.3)107Bsi RBRC04705
Tg(aMHC-VSFP2.3)123Bsi RBRC04706
Schematic figure of the
cortical barrel field
mn1103_0102
mn1103_0101

Figure 1. Sequential stimulation of single whiskers (C4, E3, D2, B1, C1, and E1) triggered electrical responses of neurons in the corresponding cortical area. Imaging of VSFP successfully detected neuronal activity in the corresponding cortical barrel (Nature Methods 7, 646, 2010).

 

  The VSFP2 mouse is the most advanced optogenetic transgenic mouse strain generated using a newly developed voltage-sensitive fluorescent protein (VSFP2.3) and was deposited at RIKEN BRC by Dr. Thomas Knöpfel, RIKEN Brain Science Institute. By stimulating a single whisker of the VSFP2 transgenic mouse, the electrical responses of the pyramidal neurons in the corresponding somatosensory cortical barrel area can be visualized (Fig. 1). These optogenetic tools, which allow the visualization of neuronal electrical responses in real time, are expected to reveal neural circuit deficiencies in psychiatric disorder models.

 

Depositor : Dr. Thomas Knöpfel, Imperial College London
References : [1] Lundby A, Mutoh H, Dimitrov D, Akemann W, Knöpfel T. Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements.PLoS One. 2008 3(6):e2514.
[2] Akemann W, Mutoh H, Perron A, Rossier J, Knöpfel T. Imaging brain electric signals with genetically targeted voltage-sensitive fluorescent proteins. Nat Methods. 2010 7(8):643-9.


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