Abstract
To improve the sensitivity of fluorescence measurements of electrical responses from small cells and their processes, we have optimized the optical measuring system. The fluorescence intensity from a stained cell was increased 40-fold relative to our previous apparatus. The increased fluorescence intensity permits the use of an inexpensive photodiode (or a photodiode array) that has a approximately 10-fold higher quantum efficiency relative to a photomultiplier. Utilizing the improved apparatus, we optically recorded an action potential of a 2 microns wide neuronal process with a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 50 (root mean square noise) without averaging. We also report the design of an improved fluorescence voltage-sensitive probe; the fractional change of the fluorescence signal under optimal conditions was 21%/100 mV.