IMAGING CARDIAC DYNAMICS USING LOW-COST ULTRA-HIGH-POWER LIGHT EMITTING DIODES AND VOLTAGE-SENSITIVE DYES

We describe the characteristics of low-cost ultra-high-power light emit- ting diodes (LEDs) for use in optical imaging experiments. We use the LEDs in experiments with bullfrog cardiac tissue and find that the signal-to-noise ratio is comparable to other commonly used illumination sources.