Why it’s Important

The brain runs on rapid-fire electrical signals called action potentials. Recording these signals and seeing how brain cells are connected in a communications network is crucial for understanding how the brain works. This collection of voltage sensors also sheds light on the brain activity that gives rise to key functions like moving and learning, and how cell signaling may change with age or disease.

What it Does

Voltron is a tool that emits light bright enough for microscopes to reliably and precisely capture video of action potentials, which happen at millisecond-timescales. Voltron and Voltron 2 can not only effectively detect signals but do so for up to an hour at a time – much longer than with previous tools. For these reasons, the sensors are a breakthrough and provide an alternative to traditional electrode recordings.

Where it’s Used

A version of Voltron is used in hundreds of laboratories around the world – from University of California, Berkeley to Columbia University, from France to South Africa. Scientists who use Voltron work at all levels of brain science, from cells to systems, and with multiple models, from flies to mice. Voltron has also been used to study heart tissue and bacterial biofilms. Some drug companies use the sensors to study experimental treatments for epilepsy and dementia.