Synaptic efficacy at singly- and dually-innervated neuromuscular junctions in the frog, Rana pipiens

Electrophysiological investigation was performed on excised, curarized cutaneous pectoris and sartorius muscles of the frog. Sixteen percent of cutaneous pectoris and 7% of sartorius end-plates received dual innervation from two different axons. The resting membrane potential and input resistance of muscle fibers at single synapses were similar to those at dual junctions. The e.p.p.s. generated by individual axons in dual synapses were, on average, smaller in amplitude than e.p.p.s recorded from singly-innervated junctions. However, the total e.p.p. amplitude (sum of the two component e.p.p.s) at dually-innervated end-plates was similar to that of end-plates innervated by a single axon. Our results at polyneuronally-innervated end-plates are consistent with a model of simple competition between motor axons for a limited synaptic space.