Light micrograph of a neuromuscular synapse (dark speckled oval), the junction between a motor neurone axon (nerve fibre, not visible) and one of the skeletal muscle fibres that it controls (striated band). The end of a motor neurone axon divides into branches, each one terminating on a different muscle fibre. A single axon thereby has the ability to activate several hundred muscle fibres. The end of each branch divides to form a cluster of small swellings (dark speckles) known as motor end plates on the muscle fibre surface. These release neurotransmitter chemicals that activate or inhibit muscle activity. Mag: x600 at 6x4.5cm size, x333 at 35mm size.