Synaptic stimulation triggers a calcium wave in a layer 5 pyramidal neuron of rat prefrontal cortex

The neuron was filled with a calcium-sensitive fluorescent dye, synapses onto the neuron were activated repetitively (30 stimuli at 100 Hz), and the fluorescence emission was recorded at a rate of 50 images per second with a CCD camera. A calcium wave intiates in the middle of the primary apical dendrite and propagates in both directions. The wave dies out before invading the soma. The movie plays the images at one tenth speed. Electrophysiological data were collected simultaneously with optical data, and the red trace is the neuron's membrane potential. As the movie plays, a gray bar moves along the red trace. The bar indicates the portion of the electrical data recorded concurrent with the movie frame. The audio that plays with the movie is the electrical data. It's used to emphasize that the wave doesn't initiate until after synaptic stimulation has ceased.

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