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The spatio‐temporal characteristics of action potential initiation in layer 5 pyramidal neurons: a voltage imaging study
Author(s) -
Popovic Marko A.,
Foust Amanda J.,
McCormick David A.,
Zecevic Dejan
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.209015
Subject(s) - soma , axon , neuroscience , electrophysiology , depolarization , sodium channel , membrane potential , biology , biophysics , physics , chemistry , organic chemistry , sodium
Non‐technical summary Axons are long process of nerve cells that mediate communication and control within the organism. Mammalian neurons have developed a complex ion channel clustering mechanism in axons to optimize rapid signalling. It has been discovered recently that intricate details of the spatial pattern of channel clustering play a critical role in signal processing in the axon. The electrical properties of axons, however, have been difficult to study using electrodes because axons are very small in diameter. We took advantage of a critical methodological improvement in the high sensitivity membrane potential imaging ( V m imaging) technique to study electrical correlates of channel clustering in the axon of cortical neurons. Voltage imaging revealed the location and length of the axonal site for nerve impulse initiation as well as the pattern of saltatory conduction in myelinated axons in the form of dynamic spatial maps of transmembrane potential.