PNAS: Research reveals that neurons activate real-time images

March 20, 2021 /--- -- According to a recent study, a new type of molecular voltage sensor makes it possible to observe nerve cells.
University of London and the University of California, Los Angeles, have now succeeded in significant improvements.
allows the transmission of electrical signals in living nerve cells to be observed at high time and spatial resolution, allowing it to investigate new problems that were previously impossible to study.
study is now published in the journal PNAS.
(Photo Source: www.pixabay.com) When we smell a smell, the sensory cells in the nose produce electrical impulses.
they enter the primary olfactory cortical layer through the olfactory ball in the brain and distribute it to the brain centers.
in recent decades, brain researchers have become more precise about how stimuli are processed in the brain and the pathways used for electrical stimuli in the process.
, in many ways, these insights are still very similar.
at the University of California, Bonn, and the University of California, Los Angeles, now suggest ways to help solve the problem.
nerve cells transmit electrical signals to other nerve cells through a biological "cable" called axons.
nerve cells are encased in a film that separates them from its surroundings.
at rest, there are many positively charged ions on the outside of the membrane, significantly more than the inside.
therefore, there is voltage between the inside and the outside.
neuroscientist also talks about membrane headings.
the signal passes through a point on the axon, this bit changes over a short period of time.
Istvan Mody, of the School of Experimental Epilepsy and Cognitive Research (IEECR) at the University of Bonn Medical Center, explains: "And we can make this change visible.
to do this, the researchers can say that a string of lights were tied around nerve cells.
is special in that each lamp in this chain has a voltage-related regulator.
means that when the film level of the lamp's position changes, it darkens.
researchers used fluorescent proteins as light chains.
"We introduced this gene into the cells.
" researchers also tagged the genetic makeup with a transport label.
" label ensures that fluorescent dyes are transferred to the outside of the membrane immediately after production.
then, use a fixture to make sure they remain the same.
" dimmator is not part of the nanolight, but another molecule: the so-called "dark quencher".
it is usually located inside the membrane.
, it changes to the outside due to a voltage change during signal forwarding.
where it meets fluorescent proteins and shields them.
result, the nanolights become darker.
normalizes the lamp, the dark quenching agent moves back inside and the brightness increases again.
this method allows the function of nerve cells to be observed without interfering with them.
, for example, makes it possible to better understand related faults in certain neurone diseases.
it is ultimately a promising new tool to better understand how the brain works.
(Bioon.com) Source: Researchers visualize neuron activity Original source: A dark quen geneticcherally encodable voltage indicator (dqGEVI) exhibits high fidelity and speed. PNAS,doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020235118