[The mechanism of development of changes in the structure and histochemistry of a neuron]

The change of the neuron's functional state when the cells become unable to generate spike responses to orthodromic testing stimuli, was shown not to be reflected in the morphological pattern of motoneurons as revealed by means of Einarsson's RNA staining. High-frequency stimulation of the motoneurons generating neither postsynaptic nor spike potentials diminishes the neurons size and intensifies their staining. A strong activation of presynaptic endings followed by no active postsynaptic processes on the neuron's membrane was shown to be able to entail major morphological alterations.