Two-point electrical-fluorescence recording from heart with optical fibers

Toward microendoscopy-inspired cardiac optogenetics in vivo: technical overview and perspective

The ability to perform precise, spatially localized actuation and measurements of electrical activity in the heart is crucial in understanding cardiac electrophysiology and devising new therapeutic solutions for control of cardiac arrhythmias. Current cardiac imaging techniques (i.e. optical mapping) employ voltage- or calcium-sensitive fluorescent dyes to visualize the electrical signal propagation through cardiac syncytium in vitro or in situ with very high-spatiotemporal resolution. The extension of optogenetics into the cardiac field, where cardiac tissue is genetically altered to express light-sensitive ion channels allowing electrical activity to be elicited or suppressed in a precise cell-specific way, has opened the possibility for all-optical interrogation of cardiac electrophysiology. In vivo application of cardiac optogenetics faces multiple challenges and necessitates suitable optical systems employing fiber optics to actuate and sense electrical signals. In this technical perspective, we present a compendium of clinically relevant access routes to different parts of the cardiac electrical conduction system based on currently employed catheter imaging systems and determine the quantitative size constraints for endoscopic cardiac optogenetics. We discuss the relevant technical advancements in microendoscopy, cardiac imaging, and optogenetics and outline the strategies for combining them to create a portable, miniaturized fiber-based system for all-optical interrogation of cardiac electrophysiology in vivo.

Cardiac electrophysiological imaging systems scalable for high-throughput drug testing

Multi-parametric electrophysiological measurements using optical methods have become a highly valued standard in cardiac research. Most published optical mapping systems are expensive and complex. Although some applications demand high-cost components and complex designs, many can be tackled with simpler solutions. Here, we describe (1) a camera-based voltage and calcium imaging system using a single ‘economy’ electron-multiplying charge-coupled device camera and demonstrate the possibility of using a consumer camera for imaging calcium transients of the heart, and (2) a photodiode-based voltage and calcium high temporal resolution measurement system using single-element photodiodes and an optical fibre. High-throughput drug testing represents an application where system scalability is particularly attractive. Therefore, we tested our systems on tissue exposed to a well-characterized and clinically relevant calcium channel blocker, nifedipine, which has been used to treat angina and hypertension. As experimental models, we used the Langendorff-perfused whole-heart and thin ventricular tissue slices, a preparation gaining renewed interest by the cardiac research community. Using our simplified systems, we were able to monitor simultaneously the marked changes in the voltage and calcium transients that are responsible for the negative inotropic effect of the compound.

A low-cost high-efficiency fiber-optic coupler for recording action potentials within the myocardial wall

We present a high-efficiency, low-cost wavelength division multiplexer to record cardiac optical action potentials (APs) within the myocardial wall using optical fibers. APs with signal-to-noise ratio as high as 60, without spatial or temporal averaging, and as high as 200, with median-filtering, were recorded in rabbit ventricle.

Method for evaluating optical characteristics of endoscopes for recording fluorescence-related cardiac electrical activity

Nondestructive methods were used to evaluate marketed fiber-optic endoscopes (intended for simple viewing) for fluorescence recording. Our application is for optical recording from the heart. For one angioscope, we measured a focal length of 0.33 mm, a field of view of 45 degrees, an aperture of 0.26 mm, and an efficiency of 43%. We calculated that the angioscope would give a signal-to-noise ratio of 1.0 for a cardiac action potential, if its field of view were divided into a nine-pixel array (for safe continuous illumination). Our methods are useful in designing and evaluating fluorescence fiber-optic systems with superior signal quality and spatial resolution.

Intramural multisite recording of transmembrane potential in the heart

Heart surface optical mapping of transmembrane potentials has been widely used in studies of normal and pathological heart rhythms and defibrillation. In these studies, three-dimensional spatio-temporal events can only be inferred from two-dimensional surface potential maps. We present a novel optical system that enables high fidelity transmural recording of transmembrane potentials. A probe constructed from optical fibers is used to deliver excitation light and collect fluorescence from seven positions, each 1 mm apart, through the left ventricle wall of the rabbit heart. Excitation is provided by the 488-nm line of a water-cooled argon-ion laser. The fluorescence of the voltage-sensitive dye di-4-ANEPPS from each tissue site is split at 600 nm and imaged onto separate photodiodes for later signal ratioing. The optics and electronics are easily expandable to accommodate multiple optical probes. The system is used to record the first simultaneous measurements of transmembrane potential at a number of sites through the intact heart wall.

Optical mapping of cardiac electrical stimulation

Optical mapping has been used to determine changes in transmembrane voltage during electrical stimulation pulses (deltaVm) and whether deltaVm depends on fiber orientation, as predicted from bidomain models. Fiber orientation in an approximately 1 cm2 mm mapped region on the rabbit left or right ventricular epicardium was estimated optically from the fast axis of action potential (AP) propagation. Hearts were paced outside of the region to produce APs. Unipolar stimulation (S2) was then applied early in the AP, when tissue was refractory, so that deltaVm was not obscured by a new AP. Anodal S2 produced negative deltaVm near a point S2 electrode and away from it in the direction perpendicular to the fibers. Anodal S2 produced reversal of the sign of deltaVm about 1 mm from the electrode in the direction parallel to the fibers, such that a positive deltaVm existed about 1-5 mm away from the electrode. Reversal of the sign of deltaVm in the direction parallel to the fibers also occurred with cathodal S2, which produced a negative deltaVm away from the electrode parallel to the fibers. The results indicate a "dogbone" pattern of deltaVm, as predicted from bidomain models that have resistance anisotropy ratios of trabecular muscles (ie, an intracellular ratio that does not equal the extracellular ratio). Thus, optical mapping can indicate fiber orientation and deltaVm, and the deltaVm during unipolar stimulation reverses sign on the axis parallel to the fibers, which differs from one-dimensional model predictions. The deltaVm agrees with multidimensional bidomain model predictions that have unequal resistance anisotropy.