IMAGING OF ENDOGENOUS NEUROTRANSMITTER RELEASE

A method for imaging endogenous release of two common neurotransmitter s from tissue slices is described. This detection employs fluorometric , enzymatic assays for glutamate and for GABA, the progress of which i s directly monitored by a cooled CCD camera. The assays are highly spe cific for their substrate, allowing accurate determination of either g lutamate or GABA release by tissues. The images captured allow visuali zation of the release of these transmitters, permitting a direct corre lation of transmitter release with well localized regions of the tissu e examined. This procedure is advantageous for studies on endogenous n eurotransmission. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.