Abstract
Long-term changes in synapses produced by altered impulse activity may be an important mechanism underlying forms of learning. The long-term effects of impulse activity on the physiology and morphology of well-defined synapses can be studied at the neuromuscular junction (Robbins, 1980). This is particularly true for crustacean neuromuscular synapses, where muscles are innervated by relatively few motoneurons. In crustacean muscles the activity of identified motoneurons can be monitored and selectively altered for extended periods in vivo. Identified neuromuscular synapses can be examined physiologically and morphologically. In addition, many of the physiological and morphological features of crustacean neuromuscular synapses are similar to synapses in the central nervous system (Atwood, 1982).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Atwood, H. L., 1976, Organization and synaptic physiology of crustacean neuromuscular systems, Prog. Neurobiol. 7: 291–391.
Atwood, H. L., 1982, Synapses and neurotransmitters, in: The Biology of Crustacea, Vol. 3 ( H. L. Atwood and D. C. Sandeman, eds.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 105–150.
Atwood, H. L., and Jahromi, S. S., 1978, Fast axon synapses of a crab leg muscle, J. Neurobiol. 9: 1–15.
Atwood, H. L., and Johnston, H. S., 1968, Neuromuscular synapses of a crab motor axon, J. Exp. Zool. 167: 457–470.
Atwood, H. L., and Lnenicka, G. A., 1986, Structure and function in synapses: Emerging correlations, Trends Neurosci. 9 (6): 248–250.
Bittner, G. D., 1973, Degeneration and regeneration in crustacean neuromuscular systems, Am. Zool. 13: 379408.
Gallego, R., Kuno, M., Nunez, R., and Snider, W. D., 1979, Disuse enhances synaptic efficacy in spinal motoneurons, J. Physiol. (Lond.), 291: 191–205.
Gertler, R. A., and Robbins, N., 1978, Differences in neurotransmission in red and white muscles, Brain Res. 142: 160–164.
Hill, R. H., and Govind, C. K., 1981, Comparison of fast and slow synaptic terminals in lobster muscle, Cell Tissue Res. 221: 303–310.
Lasek, R. J., and Brady, S. T., 1982, The axon: A prototype for studying expressional cytoplasm, Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 46: 113–124.
Lawrence, J. C., and Salsgiver, W. J., 1983, Levels of enzymes of energy metabolism are controlled by activity of cultured rat myotubes, Am. J. Physiol. 244: C348 - C355.
Lnenicka, G. A., and Atwood, H. L., 1985a, Age-dependent long-term adaptation of crayfish phasic motor axon synapses to altered activity, J. Neurosci. 5 (2): 459–467.
Lnenicka, G. A., and Atwood, H. L., 1985b, Long-term facilitation and long-term adaptation at synapses of a crayfish phasic motoneuron, J. Neurobiol. 16: 97–110.
Lnenicka, G. A., Atwood, H. L., and Marin, L., 1986, Morphological transformation of synaptic terminals of a phasic motoneuron by long-term tonic stimulation, J. Neurosci. 6: 2252–2258.
Pahapill, P. A., Lnenicka, G. A., and Atwood, H. L., 1985, Asymmetry of motor impulses and neuromuscular synapses produced in crayfish claws by unilateral immobilization, J. Comp. Physiol. 157(4):461–467. Robbins, N., 1980, Plasticity at the mature neuromuscular junction, Trends Neurosci. 3: 120: 122.
Robbins, N., and Fischbach, G. D., 1971, Effect of chronic disuse of rat soleus neuromuscular junctions on presynaptic function, J. Neurophysiol. 34: 570–578.
Rubin, L. L., 1985, Increases in muscle Ca++ mediate changes in acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholine receptors caused by muscle contraction, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82: 7121–7125.
Schatz, G., and Mason, T. L., 1974, The biosynthesis of mitochondrial proteins, Annu. Rev. Biochem. 43: 5187.
Titmus, M. J., 1981, Ultrastructure of identified fast excitatory, slow excitatory and inhibitory neuromuscular junctions in the locust, J. Neurocytol. 10: 363–385.
Walrond, J. P., and Reese, T. S., 1985, Structure of axon terminals and active zones at synapses on lizard twitch and tonic muscle fibers, J. Neurosci. 5: 1118–1131.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lnenicka, G.A. (1988). The Role of Neuronal Activity in the Long-Term Regulation of Synaptic Performance at the Crayfish Neuromuscular Junction. In: Woody, C.D., Alkon, D.L., McGaugh, J.L. (eds) Cellular Mechanisms of Conditioning and Behavioral Plasticity. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9610-0_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9610-0_37
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9612-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9610-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive