Let thoughts shine

Voltage imaging reveals how motion is represented in the brain.

How does the brain perceive movements? This question is being studied by PD Dr. Dirk Jancke at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum with a special optical imaging approach.

In a special section of the journal "Neurophotonics", Jancke describes the insights he was able to achieve thanks to the use of voltage-sensitive dyes, while honoring Prof. Amiram Grinvald - one of the most important researchers in this field.

When the voltage increases
Dirk Jancke has given the phrase "a light-bulb moment" a whole new meaning. In his laboratory he turns the activity of brain cells into light, using fluorescent dyes with a particular attribute: They change their spectral properties in response to voltage changes. That means, if a brain cell is activated, the voltage over the cell membrane increases and the dye starts to fluoresce more. This imaging technique is called "voltage-sensitive dye imaging" or in short VSDI. It is a groundbreaking technique that led to many new findings in neuroscience.

Link to original press release:
http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sfb874/presse/pressemeldungen/Gedanken_leuchten_de.html (deutsch)
https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sfb874/presse/pressemeldungen/Gedanken_leuchten.html (english)