Predictions for and lack of maximal information transmission in the neuromuscular junction
Abstract
A key question in theoretical biology is how effectively biological systems preserve information about their inputs while operating under physical and functional constraints. We examine that question at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) by studying how neurotransmitter concentration is transformed into current at both cholinergic and glutamatergic NMJs. An information maximization analysis was used to derive a theoretical distribution over neurotransmitter concentrations based on biological understandings of dose-response relationships. These theoretical distributions were compared to an experimentally derived distribution obtained from a Drosophila NMJ. The theoretical and experimental distributions showed very little agreement, indicating that the Drosophila NMJ may not shape its distribution of synaptic vesicle release probabilities in order to maximize information transmission from nervous system to muscle. Predictions for cholinergic systems are provided.
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BibTeX
@misc{goldfein2026predictions,
title = {{Predictions for and lack of maximal information transmission in the neuromuscular junction}},
author = {Eitan Goldfein and Sarah Marzen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2606.12712},
eprint = {2606.12712},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.12712},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Predictions for and lack of maximal information transmission in the neuromuscular junction
AU - Eitan Goldfein
AU - Sarah Marzen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2606.12712
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.12712
AB - A key question in theoretical biology is how effectively biological systems preserve information about their inputs while operating under physical and functional constraints. We examine that question at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) by studying how neurotransmitter concentration is transformed into current at both cholinergic and glutamatergic NMJs. An information maximization analysis was used to derive a theoretical distribution over neurotransmitter concentrations based on biological understandings of dose-response relationships. These theoretical distributions were compared to an experimentally derived distribution obtained from a Drosophila NMJ. The theoretical and experimental distributions showed very little agreement, indicating that the Drosophila NMJ may not shape its distribution of synaptic vesicle release probabilities in order to maximize information transmission from nervous system to muscle. Predictions for cholinergic systems are provided.
ER -