Paralysis in The Animal World
Many animal species use paralyzing toxins to capture prey, evade predication, or both. It was shown that in stimulated muscles the decrease in frequency of the miniature potentials runs parallel to the decrease in postsynaptic potential as well as to the decrease in muscle contraction. This clearly indicates that Microbracon venom causes paralysis of the neuromuscular system by acting at a presynaptic site. Philanthus venom inhibits the fast as well as the slow neuromuscular system at identical concentrations. It causes a decrease in the frequency of the miniature potentials without affecting their amplitude significantly
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