A new sensor developed by Duke University and Stanford University researchers provides a real-time, eagle-eye view of neural activity in mammalian brains. The technique watches the brain’s neurons with a temporal resolution of about 0.2 milliseconds.

"We set out to combine a protein that can quickly sense neural voltage potentials with another protein that can amplify its signal output,” said Yiyang Gong, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Duke. “The resulting increase in sensor speed matches what is needed to read out electrical spikes in the brains of live animals.”

The new sensor was delivered to the brains of mice using a virus and incorporated into fruit flies through genetic modification. In both cases, the researchers were able to express the protein in the neurons they chose and observe their voltage activity.

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