Membrance Potential Microscope : High-Speed Imaging of Neural Activity

Abstract

We have developed a membrane potential microscope for monitoring neural activity in the exposed animal's cortex stained with a voltage-sensitive dye. In order to cover wide cortical areas of the brain, we elaborated the microscope system through the following way: (1) Extremely large format CCD chips with multiple outputs were designed. (2) High-speed (〜2ms) digital imaging was attained. (3) A large capacity of frame memory was incorporated. (4) Specially designed optical apparatus was set up. (5) Software tools for neurobiological experiments were prepared. As a result of these, the sysytem was successfully utilized to visualize neural activities in the somatosensory cortex of monkeys.