Let thoughts shine
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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)