Calcium imaging Calcium imaging Calcium imaging is a scientific technique usually carried out in research which is designed to show the calcium (Ca) status of an isolated cell, tissue or medium. Calcium imaging techniques take advantage of so-called calcium indicators, fluorescent molecules that can respond to the binding of Ca ions by changing their fluorescence properties. Two main classes of calcium indicators exist: chemical indicators and genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI). Calcium imaging can be used to optically probe intracellular calcium in living animals. This technique has allowed studies of calcium signalling in a wide variety of cell types and neuronal activity
Calcium imaging dye in all cells or selectively in certain cellular subtypes. GECIs have been used in the studies of neuron, T-cell, cardiomyocyte, etc. Regardless of the type of indicator used the imaging procedure is generally very similar. Isolated cells loaded with an indicator or expressing it in the case of GECI, can be viewed using a fluorescence microscope and captured by a Scientific CMOS (sCMOS) camera or CCD camera. Confocal and two-photon microscopes provide improved sectioning ability so that calcium signals can be resolved in micro domains or (for example) synaptic boutons. Images are analyzed by measuring fluorescence intensity changes for