Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Electrical spiking is the internal language of the nervous system, but membrane voltage is very hard to measure. This difficulty has been a major obstacle to developing therapeutics that affect neural activity. We developed optogenetic tools for all-optical electrophysiology ('Optopatch')—simultaneous optogenetic stimulation and optical readout of membrane potential. In combination with advanced optical systems and specialized software, Optopatch tools permit high-speed characterization of neuronal function. We have applied Optopatch in primary neurons, in human stem cell-derived neurons, and in rodent brain in vivo. In neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), optical electrophysiology enables detailed functional characterization of many thousands of neurons in a screening-compatible format. Neurons derived from patients with genetically based diseases of the nervous system show characteristic firing anomalies, which in some cases can be reversed by appropriate pharmacological agents.
Authors: Adam E. Cohen, Yoav Adam, Hongkang Zhang
Institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3084361467