OPTICAL METHODS FOR INTERROGATING EPILEPTIC MECHANISMS

Abstract

A set of emerging optical imaging technologies exemplified by mesoscopic two-photon imaging with
genetically targeted calcium indicators and a new generation of voltage sensitive dyes, allow us to record
the activity in epileptic circuits of awake behaving animals with cell specificity at high spatio-temporal
resolution, complementing classical electrophysiological approaches. These methods, in combination with
transcriptomic profiling via high-throughput multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization
(MERFISH) microscopy and with optogenetic-chemogenetic strategies for testing causality, hold great
promise for dissecting the circuit mechanisms of epilepsy.