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Brief Communication

Nature Methods 4, 139–141 (1 February 2007) | doi:10.1038/nmeth988

Optical induction of synaptic plasticity using a light-sensitive channel

Yan-Ping Zhang & Thomas G Oertner

We have combined millisecond activation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a light-gated ion channel, with two-photon calcium imaging to investigate active synaptic contacts in rat hippocampal slice cultures. Calcium influx was larger during light-induced action potentials than during action potentials induced by somatic current injection, leading to highly reproducible synaptic transmission.