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Light Scattering and Birefringence Changes during Nerve Activity

Abstract

Two optical techniques—light scattering and birefringence—have been used to detect rapid structural changes accompanying the action potentials in two types of non-myelinated nerve fibre. Changes in light scattering originate from at least two different phenomena, while a large part of the birefringence change seems to be directly dependent on the potential difference across the axon membrane, and arises in radially oriented molecules associated with the membrane.

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COHEN, L., KEYNES, R. & HILLE, B. Light Scattering and Birefringence Changes during Nerve Activity. Nature 218, 438–441 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/218438a0

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