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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Dissection of Single Skeletal Muscle Fibers for Immunofluorescent and Morphometric Analyses of Whole-Mount Neuromuscular Junctions
Published on: August 14, 2021
Neurophysiology of the neuromuscular junction: overview
1Neurology Service and Rehabilitation and SCI&D Care Line, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, and Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. robert.ruff@med.va.gov
Abstract:
This manuscript reviews the physiology of neuromuscular transmission with emphasis on four features: (1) the structure of the neuromuscular junction, (2) release of vesicles of acetylcholine from the nerve terminal, (3) the roles of postsynaptic Na(+) channels and acetylcholine receptors in converting the chemical signal from the nerve terminal into a propagated action potential on the muscle fiber, and (4) the safety factor for neuromuscular transmission. It also introduces new information about how the neuromuscular junction maintains physiological integrity during muscle fiber stretch and contraction.
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