Neuronal Calcium
Neuronal Calcium - Related Videos
08:43
Calcium Imaging in Neurons
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2023
Calcium ions play an integral role in neuron function: They act as intracellular signals that can elicit responses such as altered gene expression and neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles. Within the cell, calcium concentration is highly dynamic due to the presence of pumps that selectively transport these ions in response to a variety of signals. Calcium imaging takes advantage of intracellular calcium flux to directly visualize calcium signaling in living neurons.This video begins...
11:06
In vivo Neuronal Calcium Imaging in C. elegans
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Cited by 20 •
2013
With its small transparent body, well-documented neuroanatomy and a host of amenable genetic techniques and reagents, C. elegans makes an ideal model organism for in vivo neuronal imaging using relatively simple, low-cost techniques. Here we describe single neuron imaging within intact adult animals using genetically encoded fluorescent calcium indicators.
12:15
Calcium Imaging of Cortical Neurons using Fura-2 AM
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Cited by 108 •
2009
Calcium signals play a key role in many cellular processes including gene expression, survival and differentiation. Here we demonstrate how to perform calcium imaging using Fura-2 AM. Calcium imaging is a valuable tool to study the regulation of intracellular calcium in real time and its regulation of signaling cascades.
03:17
Imaging Subcellular Calcium Dynamics in Neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans
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2025
Source: Doser, R., et al. Subcellular Imaging of Neuronal Calcium Handling In Vivo. J. Vis. Exp. (2023)This video demonstrates in vivo imaging of subcellular calcium flux in the ventral nerve cord neurons of transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans strains. Two distinct calcium indicators are employed: a cytoplasmic indicator in one strain and a mitochondrial indicator in another. Neurons are observed under a fluorescence microscope to monitor real-time changes in fluorescence intensity within the...
09:42
Simultaneous Electrophysiological Recording and Calcium Imaging of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Neurons
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Cited by 9 •
2013
Procedures are described to perform simultaneous recordings of membrane potential or current and changes of intracellular calcium concentration. Suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons are filled with the calcium indicator bis-fura-2 using a patch clamp electrode in the whole cell patch clamp configuration.
FAQs
Depolarization changes the membrane state in a way that opens voltage-gated calcium channels. Calcium ions then enter the neuron, producing an intracellular signal whose timing follows electrical activity. This coupling allows an electrical event to initiate downstream responses, including neurotransmitter release and changes in cellular regulation, rather than remaining an isolated membrane event.
Intracellular stores, calcium pumps, and buffering proteins regulate how much calcium remains available and how long the signal persists. Their combined activity controls calcium concentration and timing after entry through membrane channels. This regulation is important because the same influx must be shaped precisely enough to support signaling without producing an uncontrolled or prolonged cellular response.
Calcium concentration and timing help determine which cellular responses follow neuronal activity. Rapid, localized changes can participate in neurotransmitter release, whereas differently regulated signals can influence synaptic plasticity, gene expression, metabolism, or neuronal survival. Consequently, calcium dynamics provide more information than a simple activity indicator: they help distinguish the type and potential outcome of a neuronal response.
Neuronal calcium acts across different timescales. Calcium entry can contribute immediately to neurotransmitter release, while regulated signals also influence synaptic plasticity and gene expression. Through these pathways, activity at a synapse can affect both near-term communication and longer-lasting changes in neuronal function, helping explain how neural systems adapt in response to activity.
Calcium imaging measures changes in neuronal calcium signals to examine how nerve cells respond during activity. These measurements can connect cellular calcium dynamics with patterns of circuit activity and with processes such as development, learning, and adaptation. As a result, imaging provides an experimental way to study neuronal function without relying only on the electrical event itself.
Researchers use neuronal calcium measurements when they need to relate cellular signaling to broader nervous-system processes. Supported applications include studying circuit activity, neural development, learning, and neurological disorders. Comparing calcium signals across these contexts can help identify how neuronal communication and regulation change during normal function or in disease-related conditions.
Calcium studies can examine how activity-linked signals influence neuronal metabolism and survival, in addition to communication between neurons. Because pumps, intracellular stores, and buffering proteins shape the concentration and duration of calcium signals, measurements can help relate altered calcium regulation to changes in cellular maintenance. This makes neuronal calcium relevant to both basic neuroscience and neurological-disorder research.