Understanding Neuronal Dynamics behind Fluorescent Calcium Imaging #

Adam Michael Smith, Daman Rathore, Kirill Volynski, Yulia Timofeeva

Poster session

Abstract #

Wide-field calcium fluorescence imaging of brain tissue captures a read-out of local neural activity. Changes in fluorescence are caused by fluctuations in intracellular calcium levels which reflect neuronal spiking activity. Though it provides better spatial resolution compared to other recording methods, the resultant imaging pixels span a much greater brain area containing many neurons. Therefore, the fluorescence reflects a summation of signals from a number of contributing parts. It is possible that a particular neuronal subpopulation that partially contributes to a given signal is key to understanding complex neuronal dynamics. Details on such a subpopulation may be lost due to the spatial sampling rate limited by the recording apparatus.

I present a mathematical model that describes calcium ion transport behind the fluorescent signals. This model provides a basis to reconstruct the signals in our imaging data by considering the different contributing parts. I discuss how this model can help us understand the neuronal dynamics in experiments of cortical spreading depression and seizures.