Spatiotemporal patterns of dorsal root-evoked potentials were studied in transverse slices of the rat spinal cord by monitoring optical signals from a voltage-sensitive dye with multiple-photodiode optic camera. Typically, dorsal root stimulation generated two basic waveforms of voltage images: dual-component images consisting of fast, spike-like signal followed by a slow signal in the dorsal horn, and small, slow signals in the ventral horn. To qualitatively relate the optical signals to membrane potentials, whole-cell recordings were combined with measurements of light absorption in the area around the soma. The slow optical signals correlated closely with subthreshold postsynaptic potentials in all regions of the cord. The spike-like component was not associated with postsynaptic action potentials, suggesting that the fast signal was generated by presynaptic action potentials. Firing in a single neuron could not be detected optically, implying that local voltage images originated from synchronously activated neuronal ensembles. Blocking glutamatergic synaptic transmission inhibited excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and significantly reduced the slow optical signals, implying that they were mediated by glutamatergic synapses. Suppressing glycine-mediated inhibition increased the amplitude of both optical signals and EPSPs, while blocking GABA_A receptor-mediated synapses increased the amplitude and time course of EPSPs and prolonged the duration of voltage images in larger areas of the slice. The close correlation between evoked EPSPs and their respective local voltage images demonstrates the advantage of the high temporal resolution optical system in measuring both the spatiotemporal dynamics of segmental network excitation and integrated potentials of neuronal ensembles at identified sites.