Development of motoneuron electrical properties and motor output

This chapter discusses a series of studies that apply whole-cell patch clamp recordings to embryonic Drosophila motoneurons in vivo. These studies not only chart the electrical development of these neurons, from the first onset of electrical activity to maturity, but also show that synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system (CNS) are reliant on mechanisms remarkably similar to those that operate at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Postembryonic development of the NMJ is critically dependent on both the relative levels and localization of the cell adhesion molecule FasciclinII (FasII). Technical advances make possible the application of relatively sophisticated electrophysiology to the CNS of Drosophila embryos and larvae. The comparatively few studies that have applied such techniques provide compelling evidence to show that the development of central motoneurons, together with the molecular mechanisms that govern synaptic growth and plasticity, are remarkably similar to those already shown to operate at the NMJ