Brian M. Salzberg, Ph.D.
Professor, Dept of Neuroscience, Physiology

Cell Biology and Physiology Program

Address

234 Stemmler Hall/6074
3450 Hamilton Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6074

Office tel.: 215 898-2441
Lab tel.: 215 898-2441
Fax: 215 746-2758
E-mail: bmsalzbe@mail.med.upenn.edu

Link(s)

Dr. Salzberg's Neuroscience Graduate Group Webpage

EDUCATION

Yale College: BS (Physics Honors), 1963.

Harvard University: AM (Physics), 1965.

Harvard University: PhD (Physics), 1971.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Optical measurements of membrane voltage, calcium, secretion, exocytosis.

Key words: Optical recording, voltage-sensitive dye, imaging, light scattering, secretion, excitation-secretion coupling.

Search PubMed for articles

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH

Certain substances, when bound to the membranes of neurons, cardiac and skeletal muscle, salivary acini, and other cells, behave as molecular indicators of membrane potential. The optical properties of these molecules, most notably fluorescence and absorbance, vary in a linear fashion with potential and may, therefore, be used to monitor action potentials, synaptic potentials, or other changes in membrane voltage from a large number of sites at once, without the necessity of using electrodes.

Our laboratory is engaged in the development of more sensitive probes, extending the technology associated with their use, and in using these molecular voltmeters for optical recording of membrane potential from hitherto inaccessible regions of single neurons such as axon and neuroendocrine terminals and axonal and dendritic processes, and from many sites simultaneously, with single cell resolution, in simple mammalian nervous systems, in order to study the spatial and temporal patterning of activity.

Also, we are continuing to exploit the optical properties of potentiometric probes to detect the voltage changes in the nerve terminals of vertebrates, and to correlate alterations in the shape of the nerve terminal action potential with the release of neuropeptides monitored through rapid changes in light scattering.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

M. Muschol, P. Kosterin, M. Ichikawa, and B.M. Salzberg. Activity-Dependent Depression of Excitability and Calcium Transients in the Neurohypophysis Suggests a Model of “Stuttering Conduction”. Journal of Neuroscience 23: 11352-11362 (2003).

A.L. Obaid, L.M. Loew, J.P. Wuskell, and B.M. Salzberg. Novel Naphthylstyryl-pyridinium Potentiometric Dyes Offer Advantages for Neural Network Analysis. J. Neurosci. Methods 134(2): 179-190 (2004).

B.M.Salzberg, P.V. Kosterin, M. Muschol, S.L. Rumyantsev, Yu. Bilenko, and M.S. Shur. An Ultra-Stable Non-Coherent Light Source for Optical Measurements in Neuroscience and Cell Physiology. J. Neurosci. Meth. 141: 165-169 (2005).

A.L. Obaid, J. Lindstrom, M. Nelson, and B.M. Salzberg. Optical Studies of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes in the Guinea-Pig Enteric Nervous System. J. Exp. Biol. In Press (2005).

P. Kosterin, G.-H. Kim, M. Muschol, A.L. Obaid, and B.M. Salzberg. Changes in FAD and NADH Fluorescence in Neurosecretory Terminals are Triggered by Calcium Entry and ADP Production. J. Membr. Biol. 208:113-124 (2005).

Lab

ROTATION PROJECTS FOR 2006-2007

Light scattering changes in nerve terminals; excitation secretion coupling in peptidergic nerve terminals.

Lab personnel:

Ana Lia Obaid - Research Associate Professor of Neuroscience
Paul Kosterin - Research Associate
Gi-Ho Kim - Research Associate