The authors report the generation of fluorescent false neurotransmitter 200 (FFN200), a new optical probe for selectively monitoring monoamine exocytosis in cultured neurons and brain slices. Using the new tool in combination with Ca2+ imaging, they find functionally silent dopaminergic vesicle clusters in the striatum, with impaired exocytosis at a step downstream from Ca2+ influx.
- Daniela B Pereira
- Yvonne Schmitz
- David Sulzer