Optical recording methods: How to measure neural activities with calcium imaging

Abstract

Optical recording that provides both anatomical and physiological data has become an essential research technique for neuroscience studies. In particular, Ca2+ imaging is one of the most popular and useful methods for monitoring local activity at subcellular regions of single neurons and/or visualization of spatiotemporal dynamics of neuronal population activity. In neuroethological studies on the cricket, the Ca2+ imaging is also a powerful method for optical recording of neural activity and has yielded important information on neural mechanisms in the cricket. In this chapter, we summarize some important features for the application of Ca2+ imaging in the cricket nervous system. This includes the selection of an appropriate Ca2+ indicator and the dye loading protocols, experimental designs, and optical system configurations that are required to enable the effective use of the Ca2+ imaging techniques in the cricket. As an example application, we focused on Ca2+ imaging experiments in the cricket cercal sensory system in vivo.