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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Simultaneous Imaging of Microglial Dynamics and Neuronal Activity in Awake Mice
Published on: August 23, 2022
Imaging nervous system activity
Douglas R Fields1, Neil Shneider, George Z Mentis
1Section on Nervous System Development and Plasticity, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
This unit describes methods for loading ion- and voltage-sensitive dyes into neurons, with a particular focus on the spinal cord as a model system. In addition, we describe the use of these dyes to visualize neural activity. Although the protocols described here concern spinal networks in culture or an intact in vitro preparation, they can be, and have been, widely used in other parts of the nervous system.
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