Synapse-to-synapse plasticity variability balanced to generate input-wide constancy of transmitter release

Abstract

Basal synaptic strength can vary greatly between synapses formed by an individual neuron because of diverse probabilities of action potential (AP) evoked transmitter release (Pr). Optical quantal analysis on large numbers of identified Drosophila larval glutamatergic synapses shows that short-term plasticity (STP) also varies greatly between synapses made by an individual type I motor neuron (MN) onto a single body wall muscle. Synapses with high and low Pr and different forms and level of STP have a random spatial distribution in the MN nerve terminal, and ones with very different properties can be located within 200 nm of one other. While synapses start off with widely diverse basal Pr at low MN AP firing frequency and change Pr differentially when MN firing frequency increases, the overall distribution of Pr remains remarkably constant due to a balance between the numbers of synapses that facilitate and depress as well as their degree of change and basal synaptic weights. This constancy in transmitter release can ensure robustness across changing behavioral conditions.