TY  - THES
N2  - It is well established that altered postsynaptic receptor activity leads to changes in presynaptic transmission and presynaptic connectivity throughout the nervous system (Turrigiano 2012; Davis and Muller 2015). Receptor-activity-dependent modulation of presynaptic transmission, termed "synaptic plasticity", was first highlighted from studies at neuromuscular synapses and later recapitulated at central synapses (Robbins and Fishbach 1971, Turrigiano 2004, Slater 2015). The receptor-activity-dependent process responsible for reducing the number of presynaptic inputs from multiple neurons onto a target cell throughout synapse development, a form of synaptic competition, was also first demonstrated at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) (Wyatt and Balice-Gordon 2003) and later observed at central synapses (Kano and Hashimoto 2009). This study, however, probes for evidence of receptor-activity-dependent intra-neuronal competition between axon terminals from the same motor neuron. In this study, I exploit the advantages provided by zebrafish including viable acetylcholine receptor (AChR) null juvenile fish and transparent bodies allowing for direct imaging of spinal motor neurons and neuromuscular synapses. The findings from this study demonstrate that axon terminal morphology and synapse number are not dependent on either AChR receptor expression or activity. Despite these morphological results, the tools and techniques developed throughout this study provide the possibility to test whether nonuniform AChR receptor expression or activity impact synaptic transmission using patch clamp electrophysiology.
DO  - 10.6083/m4nc60q6
DO  - DOI
AB  - It is well established that altered postsynaptic receptor activity leads to changes in presynaptic transmission and presynaptic connectivity throughout the nervous system (Turrigiano 2012; Davis and Muller 2015). Receptor-activity-dependent modulation of presynaptic transmission, termed "synaptic plasticity", was first highlighted from studies at neuromuscular synapses and later recapitulated at central synapses (Robbins and Fishbach 1971, Turrigiano 2004, Slater 2015). The receptor-activity-dependent process responsible for reducing the number of presynaptic inputs from multiple neurons onto a target cell throughout synapse development, a form of synaptic competition, was also first demonstrated at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) (Wyatt and Balice-Gordon 2003) and later observed at central synapses (Kano and Hashimoto 2009). This study, however, probes for evidence of receptor-activity-dependent intra-neuronal competition between axon terminals from the same motor neuron. In this study, I exploit the advantages provided by zebrafish including viable acetylcholine receptor (AChR) null juvenile fish and transparent bodies allowing for direct imaging of spinal motor neurons and neuromuscular synapses. The findings from this study demonstrate that axon terminal morphology and synapse number are not dependent on either AChR receptor expression or activity. Despite these morphological results, the tools and techniques developed throughout this study provide the possibility to test whether nonuniform AChR receptor expression or activity impact synaptic transmission using patch clamp electrophysiology.
T1  - Developmental effects of nonuniform acetylcholine receptor expression on motor neuron and synapse morphology in larval zebrafish
DA  - 2017
AU  - Nelson, Nathan R.
L1  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7650/files/Nelson.Nathan.2017.pdf
PB  - Oregon Health and Science University
PY  - 2017
ID  - 7650
L4  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7650/files/Nelson.Nathan.2017.pdf
KW  - Motor Neurons
KW  - Neuromuscular Junction
KW  -  Zebrafish 
KW  - receptors
KW  - cholinergic
TI  - Developmental effects of nonuniform acetylcholine receptor expression on motor neuron and synapse morphology in larval zebrafish
Y1  - 2017
L2  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7650/files/Nelson.Nathan.2017.pdf
LK  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7650/files/Nelson.Nathan.2017.pdf
UR  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7650/files/Nelson.Nathan.2017.pdf
ER  -