Ciberial Muscle 9 (CM9) Electrophysiological Recordings in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The complexity surrounding presynaptic recordings in mammals is a significant barrier to the study of presynaptic mechanisms during neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Here we describe an adult fly neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the ciberial muscle 9 (CM9) NMJ, which allows for the recording of both evoked (EPSPs) and spontaneous postsynaptic excitatory potentials (mEPSPs) at a mature glutamatergic synapse. Combined with CM9-specific genetic technologies, the CM9 NMJ provides a powerful experimental system to better understand the regulation of neurotransmitter release at a mature synapse.