BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Synaptic Scuffle
02 September 2012

Synaptic Scuffle

In the weeks before and after we’re born, nerve cells race to colonize our developing muscles. There they create connections, known as synapses, through which the electrical signals that control our movements are passed. During this process, different nerve cells compete for space in the highly excitable areas that will activate the muscle. One or other will prevail, maintaining synapses into adult life. Here we see two types of nerve cell (red and green) converging in an adult rat's calf muscle. This model system reveals that the outcome of synaptic competition depends on the pattern of signals sent down each competing nerve cell. Insights like this are helping researchers understand synaptic jockeying in less accessible parts of the nervous system, including the brain, where it plays an important role in learning and memory.

Written by Daniel Cossins

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.