High-Resolution Measurements of Calcium in Hippocampus Neurons

私家侦探寻求支持调查一部小说 技术来量化细胞内浓度的变化 与海马神经元活动相关的钙离子 参与学习和记忆的神经元。 尤其是钙- 敏感的荧光染料将被显微注射到选定的 神经元，并使用双波长荧光分光光度计进行监测 和扫描共聚焦显微镜， 神经元活动，如高频破伤风产生长 术语增强 拟议中的研究是一场赌博， 是一个最低限度的初步数据，以允许一个简单的判断。 然而，调查人员在以下方面取得了很大进展： 分析培养细胞中的钙变化。 难度 将这些程序扩展到组织切片。 的潜在 一个重大的结果似乎足以证明风险是合理的。 对钙进行高分辨率测量的能力 海马神经元的变化将对许多区域产生影响， 包括计算心理学、神经网络 建模和电生理学。 这项工作有可能 使神经科学更接近于理解 学习和记忆的突触分子机制。

The PI seeks support for an investigation of a novel technique to quantify the changes in intracellular concentrations of calcium that are associated with the activity of hippocampal neurons involved in learning and memory. Specifically, calcium- sensitive fluorescent dyes will be mircroinjected into selected neurons and monitored using a dual-wavelength spectrofluorimeter and scanning confocal microscope following manipulation of neuronal activity, such as high-frequency tetanus to produce long term potentiation. The proposed research is a gamble and there is a minimum of preliminary data to allow an easy judgement. However, the investigators have made excellent progress in analyzing calcium changes in cultured cells. The difficulty is in extending these procedures to the tissue slice. The potential for a significant outcome seems sufficient to justify the risk. The ability to make high-resolution measurements of calcium changes in hippocampal neurons will have an impact on many areas of neuroscience, including computational psychology, neural net modeling, and electrophysiology. This work has the potential to move neuroscience significantly closer to an understanding of the synaptic molecular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.