title: Nonextensivity and self-affinity in the mammalian neuromuscular junction.
abstract: We study time series and the spontaneous miniature end-plate potentials (MEPPs) of mammals recorded at neuromuscular junctions using two different approaches: generalized thermostatistics and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Classical concepts establish that the magnitude of these potentials is characterized by Gaussian statistics and that their intervals are randomly displayed. First we show that MEPP distributions adequately satisfy the q-Gaussian distributions that maximize the Tsallis entropy, indicating their nonextensive and nonequilibrium behavior. We then examine the intervals between the miniature potentials via DFA, where the profile of the intervals between events configures a deviation from the expected random behavior. Some possible physiological substrates for these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-910 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. adjesbr@gmail.com
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moret
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D055369:Miniature Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*