ClC‐1 Cl⁻ channels as modulators of signal transmission at neuromuscular junction.

The paper by Pedersen et al1 published in this issue of I Acta Physiologica i provides compelling evidence that ClC-1 Cl SP - sp channels are important not only in the regulation of skeletal muscle excitability in mammals,2 but also in modulating the threshold for signal transmission at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). In turn, the action potential in the muscle fibre triggers a series of events that cause the fibre to contract.4 Therefore, if the action potentials reaching the neuron terminal at an NMJ do not translate consistently into to an equivalent number of action potentials at the surface of the muscle fibre, the muscle fibre will not contract as it should, resulting in muscle weakness. Generally, the NMJs of twitch muscles in vertebrates are robust all-or-none excitatory synapses that display a high safety margin under normal physiological conditions to ensure that each action potential at the neuron terminal results in the generation of one action potential in the surface membrane of the muscle fibre. [Extracted from the article]

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