The optical spike

Among the signs of activity in excitable membranes, the action current (electrical spike) has been extensively studied. Recently, a new approach with optical methods has been rewarding. In nerves, a transient, rapid change of light scanning, birefringence and induced fluorescence can be observed during the passage of the action current. These optical effects are synchronous with the electrical spike and are therefore called the optical spikes. Birefringence decreases during excitation in the giant axon of the squid, the walking nerves of Maia, the vagus nerve of the rabbit, but it increases in the olfactory nerve of the pike, which contains 4 million nonmedullated nerve fibres. Light scattering increases or decreases depending on the angle of observation. Vitally stained nerves with fluorescent probes show an increase and a shift in the wavelength distribution of the fluorescent spike.