Opto-electronic feedback control of membrane potential for real-time control of action potentials

Abstract

Highlights•

APqr integrates cellular electrophysiology, real-time computing, and optogenetics•

APqr preserves cardiac AP morphologies in the presence of electrical perturbations• APqr allows the enforcement of arbitrary AP waveforms• APqr sets the stage for tissue-scale membrane potential control Motivation In excitable cells, the membrane potential undergoes transient, periodic changes called action potentials (APs). Organ-level function, such as heart contraction, depends on distinct local AP morphologies, whereas AP abnormalities can give rise to disorders, such as cardiac arrhythmias. APs are highly dynamic, multifactorial processes and have stochastic characteristics. To gain a deeper understanding into the regulatory roles of APs in health and in the development and/or progression of disease, experimental tools that are able to control APs in a precise and similarly dynamic manner are needed. Yet, methods capable of such control are currently lacking.