Overview
- Developed by teams at the Allen Institute and HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, the protein indicator detects tiny, rapid glutamate events at single synapses.
- The tool reveals real-time inputs that were previously too faint and fast to measure, addressing a long-standing gap in recording how neurons receive information.
- The Nature Methods paper reports increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation kinetics compared with earlier iGluSnFR versions.
- Initial in vivo imaging demonstrates that the indicator can track synaptic activity in living brain tissue.
- Researchers cite potential uses in probing neural computation, investigating disorders tied to glutamate signaling, and evaluating drug effects at the synaptic level.