Effect of the action potential on the Raman spectrum of the pike olfactory nerve

Raman bands due to the C-H stretching vibrations of the phospholipid acyl chains, as well as those due to resonance enhanced vibrations of carotenoid pigments, were used to probe for conformational changes during the passage of the action potential through fibers of the pike unmyelinated olfactory nerve. Our results show that if there are any spectral changes during nerve excitation, these are less than 0.5% for both the phospholipid and the carotenoid bands.