Optical induction of synaptic plasticity using a light-sensitive channel.
basic_science · Level V
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Abstract
We have combined millisecond activation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a light-gated ion channel, with two-photon calcium imaging to investigate active synaptic contacts in rat hippocampal slice cultures. Calcium influx was larger during light-induced action potentials than during action potentials induced by somatic current injection, leading to highly reproducible synaptic transmission. Pairing of light stimulation with postsynaptic depolarization induced long-term potentiation, making this technique ideal for genetic and pharmacological dissection of synaptic plasticity.
Medical subject headings
- Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological
- Neuronal Plasticity
- Synapses