Mapping absolute membrane voltage using dynamic photocycle control

Abstract

Fluorescent voltage indicators are widely used to report relative changes in membrane potential, but mapping absolute voltages remains difficult. Here we present Voltage Measurement by Activated Photocycles (VMAP), a simple method for absolute voltage imaging based on a photophysical switch between voltage-insensitive and sensitive indicator states. VMAP requires no specialized hardware or additional labeling, and is applicable across species, sample preparations, and microscope configurations. Using VMAP, we quantified drug-induced shifts in neuronal resting potential, revealed the emergence of bioelectric patterns during multi-day recordings of human iPSC populations, and created 3D membrane-potential maps across whole live zebrafish embryos. By making absolute voltage imaging accessible from cellular to organismal scales and from milliseconds to days, VMAP opens a route to mapping bioelectrical organization in complex living systems.