[Transmission behavior of the neuromuscular synapse: interpretation of experimental data by a model]

A model of neuromuscular transmission has been proposed which considers morphological structure and interrelated chemical and electrical mechanisms. The adequate kinetic scheme has been described by means of a system of nonlinear first order differential equations and the network of corresponding electrical processes has been treated as a linear first order differential equation with one variable coefficient. By the analytical investigation of derived differential equations detailed informations about the qualitative behaviour of the solutions were obtained. Present results of modelling characterize the neuromuscular synapse as a "perfect" transfer element, since all the possible dynamic solutions tend to exactly one singular point - the "resting state", independent of initial values and all other parameters. The special time-dependent solutions simulated by computer with biologically relevant parameters are in good agreement with experimentally determined transient response of the neuromuscular synapse. The paper concludes with an outlook of the possible pharmacologic application of the developed model.