99.1K
views
29
authors
13
articles
Editors
2
Impact
Loading...
Hypothesis and Theory
01 October 2019
30,682 views
14 citations
5,757 views
41 citations
Mini Review
01 March 2019
Genetically Encoded Voltage Indicators Are Illuminating Subcellular Physiology of the Axon
Lauren C. Panzera
 and 
Michael B. Hoppa

Everything we see and do is regulated by electrical signals in our nerves and muscle. Ion channels are crucial for sensing and generating electrical signals. Two voltage-dependent conductances, Na+ and K+, form the bedrock of the electrical impulse in the brain known as the action potential. Several classes of mammalian neurons express combinations of nearly 100 different varieties of these two voltage-dependent channels and their subunits. Not surprisingly, this variability orchestrates a diversity of action potential shapes and firing patterns that have been studied in detail at neural somata. A remarkably understudied phenomena exists in subcellular compartments of the axon, where action potentials initiate synaptic transmission. Ion channel research was catalyzed by the invention of glass electrodes to measure electrical signals in cell membranes, however, progress in the field of neurobiology has been stymied by the fact that most axons in the mammalian CNS are far too small and delicate for measuring ion channel function with electrodes. These quantitative measurements of membrane voltage can be achieved within the axon using light. A revolution of optical voltage sensors has enabled exploring important questions of how ion channels regulate axon physiology and synaptic transmission. In this review we will consider advantages and disadvantages of different fluorescent voltage indicators and discuss particularly relevant questions that these indicators can elucidate for understanding the crucial relationship between action potentials and synaptic transmission.

16,315 views
36 citations
Recommended Research Topics
Frontiers Logo

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

Building up the inhibitory synapse
Edited by Enrico Cherubini
151.1K
views
52
authors
14
articles
Frontiers Logo

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

Homeostatic and Retrograde Signaling Mechanisms Modulating Presynaptic Function and Plasticity
Edited by Jaichandar (Jai) Subramanian, Michael A Sutton, Dion Dickman
117.1K
views
34
authors
13
articles
105.4K
views
30
authors
11
articles
Frontiers Logo

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

Cochlear Neuron and Ribbon Synapse: Development, Degeneration, Repair and Regeneration
Edited by Tejbeer Kaur, Thomas Coate, Steven Haym Green
104.8K
views
88
authors
17
articles
Frontiers Logo

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

Modulation of Neuronal Excitability by Non-Neuronal Cells in Physiological and Pathophysiological Conditions
Edited by Yun Wang, Bi-Wen Peng, Rongqing Chen, Peimin Zhu
34.9K
views
59
authors
8
articles