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Abstract

Voltage-sensitive dyes were used to study the changes in membrane potential in axons and glial cells of the frog optic nerve following electrical stimulation. The lack of a signal in the unstained nerve and the multiphasic action spectra after staining indicated that the optical responses were from the extrinsic dyes. Changes in dye absorption and fluorescence had rapid and slow phases. The rapid phases resulted from action potentials in myelinated and unmyelinated axons. The kinetics of the slow phase of the optical response were similar to the depolarization recorded from the glial cells with intracellular electrodes. The ratio of the amplitudes of the fast and slow phases was characteristic for each type of dye. Pharmacological analysis of the action potential of the unmyelinated axons revealed tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels and 4-aminopyridine-sensitive potassium channels. Repeated exposure of the stained preparation to light led to photodynamic damage as shown by a block of recovery of the glial depolarization. An electron microscopic morphometric study of the nerve was carried out in an effort to understand the contribution of the various anatomical elements to the compound optical response. The ratio of unmyelinated axon membrane to glial membrane was much greater than was the ratio of the fast and slow components of the signal, suggesting that the dyes either had a higher affinity for glial membrane or did not penetrate the nerve uniformly.