Optical recording of synaptic potentials from processes of single neurons using intracellular potentiometric dyes

To record post synaptic potentials or electrical activity from processes of single cells in a central nervous system (CNS) preparation in situ, voltage sensitive dyes can be injected intracellularly, thereby staining only the cell under investigation. We report the structure, evaluation, and synthesis of 11 fluorescent styryl dyes developed for iontophoretic injection. The optical signals that represent small synaptic potentials from single processes of iontophoretically injected cells are expected to be very small and, therefore, such measurements are not easy. We report the methodology that permitted the optical recording of action potentials from a 3-micron axon and the recording of small synaptic potentials from the processes of single cells in the segmental ganglia of the leech. The same dyes also proved useful for optical recording of action potentials of anterogradely labeled axons, following local extracellular injection at a remote site in a mammalian CNS preparation.