(
2012-12-04)
Tsuda, Sachiko; Kee, Michelle Z. L.; Cunha, Catarina; Kim, Jinsook; Yan, Ping; Loew, Leslie M.; Augustine, George J.
Recent advances in our understanding of brain function have come from using light to either
control or image neuronal activity. Here we describe an approach that combines both
techniques: a micromirror array is used to photostimulate populations of presynaptic
neurons expressing channelrhodopsin-2, while a red-shifted voltage-sensitive dye allows
optical detection of resulting postsynaptic activity. Such technology allowed us to control the
activity of cerebellar interneurons while simultaneously recording inhibitory responses in
multiple Purkinje neurons, their postsynaptic targets. This approach should substantially
accelerate our understanding of information processing by populations of neurons within
brain circuits.
