Comparative Anatomy of the Neuromuscular Junction
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Abstract
The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the area where a motor neuron synapses to a muscle
fiber. The NMJ consists of a pre-synapse and a post-synapse which are separated by the
synaptic cleft area. The ultimate function of the NMJ is to cause muscle contraction through
the release of Acetylcholine neurotransmitters from the pre-synapse nerve terminal that will
bind to the Acetylcholine receptors on the post-synapse. The NMJ has been extensively
studied regarding its structure, function and pathology at a molecular and cellular level in many
species including humans. However, comparative anatomy studies of the human NMJ and
other species are limited. The mouse has been widely used in research as an experimental
animal model, and great statistically significant differences when compared to human were
reported. The aim of this thesis was to compare humans NMJs with mouse and sheep NMJs
in the EDL, PL and S muscles in order to identify if there are any statistically significant
differences between the two comparison groups as the NMJ is a primary target for many
neurodegenerative diseases. The methods that were employed for this thesis were
microdissection for myofiber acquisition (ethical approval was granted by the UK Home
Office), immunohistochemistry for labelling the pre- and post-synapse, confocal microscopy
to acquire NMJ micrographs and NMJ-morph platform and ImageJ software for NMJ
morphometric analysis. One-way ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. Statistical
analysis showed that the mouse showed a statistically significant difference from human
ranging from. In contrast, statistically, the sheep showed approximately
of similarity to humans. Overall, the sheep was statistically strongly correlated to
humans whereas mouse was significantly different. Future research is indispensable for
understanding the structural and functional bases of the NMJ, and the identification of an
animal model that accurately represents the human NMJ.