A comparison of three different methods of eliciting rapid activity-dependent synaptic plasticity at the Drosophila NMJ.

ABSTRACT: The Drosophila NMJ is a system of choice for investigating the mechanisms underlying the structural and functional modifications evoked during activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Because fly genetics allows considerable versatility, many strategies can be employed to elicit this activity. Here, we compare three different stimulation methods for eliciting activity-dependent changes in structure and function at the Drosophila NMJ. We find that the method using patterned stimulations driven by a K+-rich solution creates robust structural modifications but reduces muscle viability, as assessed by resting potential and membrane resistance. We argue that, using this method, electrophysiological studies that consider the frequency of events, rather than their amplitude, are the only reliable

SUBMITTER: Maldonado-Diaz C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8631638 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature