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Lookup NU author(s): Emeritus Professor Clarke Slater
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. Mammalian neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) often consist of curved bands of synaptic contact, about 3–6 μm wide, which resemble pretzels. This contrasts with the NMJs of most animal species which consist of a cluster of separate synaptic spots, each of which is also about 3–6 μm across. In a number of situations, including a variety of disease states as well as normal ageing, mammalian NMJs acquire a more ‘fragmented’ appearance that resembles somewhat that of other species. This ‘fragmentation’ of the NMJ has sometimes been interpreted as a ‘disintegration’ or ‘degeneration’, with the suggestion that it might be associated with impaired neuromuscular transmission. An alternative view is that NMJ fragmentation is the outcome of a normal process by which the NMJ is maintained in an effective state. In this highly personal commentary, I cite a number of examples of this and point out that although the ‘pretzel’ form arises during normal development as a result of the sculpting of an immature synaptic ‘plaque’, in virtually all situations where new synaptic contact is established in adult mammals this occurs by the addition of new synaptic ‘spots’ rather than by the extension, or neoformation, of ‘pretzels’. Further, where appropriate studies have been performed, no evidence of a correlation between the degree of fragmentation and the efficacy of transmission has emerged. It may therefore be more appropriate to consider NMJ ‘fragmentation’ as a form of regeneration, rather than of degeneration.
Author(s): Slater CR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Neuroscience
Year: 2020
Volume: 439
Pages: 28-40
Print publication date: 15/07/2020
Online publication date: 23/05/2019
Acceptance date: 07/05/2019
ISSN (print): 0306-4522
ISSN (electronic): 1873-7544
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.05.017
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.05.017
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