Calcium Imaging
Calcium Imaging - 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...
07:45
Imaging Calcium in Drosophila at Egg Activation
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Cited by 6 •
2016
This article describes an adaptable ex vivo protocol for visualizing Ca2+ during egg activation in Drosophila.
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.
03:39
In Vivo Calcium Imaging Using Synaptically Localized Calcium Sensors in Drosophila melanogaster
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2025
This video demonstrates a method for in vivo calcium imaging using synaptically localized calcium sensors in flies. It outlines the steps for preparing the flies for microscopy, conducting olfactory conditioning, and visualizing odor-induced calcium influx.
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.
FAQs
Both indicator types report calcium binding through a fluorescence change, but they represent different ways to monitor intracellular signaling. Chemical dyes provide a non-genetic labeling option, whereas genetically encoded sensors are introduced through genetic information. This distinction allows researchers to choose an indicator strategy suited to examining calcium activity in individual living cells or more extended biological systems.
When an indicator binds calcium, its fluorescence changes, creating a measurable signal over time. The timing and pattern of that signal can be related to calcium entering a cell, being released within it, or being removed afterward. Tracking these phases helps investigators connect intracellular calcium dynamics with the cellular events that generate or respond to biological signals.
A single fluorescence measurement cannot show how a calcium signal develops, spreads, or declines. Time-resolved imaging instead follows changing intracellular calcium concentration while cells remain observable, allowing researchers to compare the sequence of signaling events with cellular behavior. This temporal information is especially useful for studying coordinated activity across cells or networks rather than isolated static measurements.
A typical workflow begins by selecting a fluorescent calcium indicator, either a chemical dye or a genetically encoded sensor, and applying it to the living cells or tissue being studied. Microscopy then records fluorescence over time. Researchers analyze the resulting changes to relate calcium influx, release, or removal to cellular activity and behavior.
Calcium imaging can be applied to neuronal signaling, muscle contraction, secretion, and intracellular communication. In each case, fluorescence changes provide a functional readout that can be compared with the behavior of the cells or tissue. This makes the technique useful for examining how calcium-dependent signals are generated and coordinated in living biological systems.
By linking calcium dynamics with cellular behavior, the method helps reveal how biological signals change across different biological contexts. Researchers can examine signaling during development, normal physiological activity, or disease-related alterations, while also considering activity in individual cells or larger networks. These comparisons provide a way to investigate both cellular function and disrupted communication in tissues.