Summary

Voltage sensitive dye imaging, coupled together with modern confocal microscopy and the use of transgenic mice, allows for:

1. Targeted, high efficiency recording from subtypes of neurons
2. High speed, high resolution imaging of action potentials in all parts of the neuron
3. It may be possible to image smaller events (e.g. synaptic potentials) with averaging

Limitations

• Approximately 20, 50-100 msec trials can be obtained before damage becomes evident
• The amplitude of the voltage changes cannot be calibrated (although the kinetics are accurate, if noise is taken into account)