Watching brain cells fire

Scientists have plenty of ways to watch as individual neurons in a brain fire, sending electrical signals from one to the next, but they all share a basic problem. Each method, whether it involves electrical probes, chemical agents or genetic modifications, is in some way more invasive than neuroscientists would like.

That may soon change. As Stanford researchers report Dec. 12 in Light: Science and Applications, they have developed a way to watch brain cells send electrical signals using only light, a few lenses and other optical elements, and a fast video camera.

You may read the whole text here.