11/27: Neurotransmitters and Neuromuscular Control Flashcards
- What are the two types of synapses?
Electrical
Chemical
What are electrical synapses?
Synapses that are connected by a gap junction
What are chemical synapses?
Synapses that release neurotransmitters
What synapse type does the CNS use primarily?
Chemical synapse
What is a quanta?
The amount of neurotransmitter contained within a presynaptic vesicle
Once a neurotransmitter has bound to its receptor on the postsynaptic vesicle, what
does it trigger?
a. It triggers EPSPs and IPSPs
- What are EPSPs?
a. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials
- What are IPSPs?
a. Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials
What proteins are responsible for starting the process of binding vesicles to synaptic membrane?
SNARE proteins
What are the 4 steps that occur in order for a vesicle to release its NT on synaptic
membrane?
- Ca+2 influx binds to Synaptotagmin
- Synaptotagmin undergoes a conformational change and binds to synaptobrevin
- Synaptobrevin binds to SNAP-25 and Syntaxin
- SNARE protein complex formed allowing vesicle to dock and release contents into synaptic cleft
What toxin is commonly given cosmetically to inhibit SNARE proteins?
Botulinum toxin
i. Eats the SNARE protein inhibiting NT release
What ions are IPSPs?
Chlorine
Magnesium
Potassium
- How are magnesium and potassium IPSPs if they are positively charged?
Because they are stored at a higher concentration inside the cell than out so
when they leave they leave behind a negative charge
- What ions are EPSPs?
Sodium
Calcium
- What are the 3 excitatory NT?
a. Glutamate
b. Aspartate
c. NO
- What are the 4 inhibitory NT?
a. Glycine
b. GABA
c. Serotonin
d. Dopamine
- What 2 NT are both excitatory and inhibitory?
a. Acetylcholine
b. Norepinephrine
- Do neurons receive only EPSPs or IPSPs signaling?
a. No, they can receive both since many neurons synapse together
- Where then do the sums of all the EPSPs and IPSPs occur within a neuron?
a. Axon hillock
- Why are graded potentials called such?
a. Because the signal strength fades the further it travels within a neuron
- How do graded potentials differ from an action potential?
Action potentials do not lose strength because they use Na voltage gated channels
- What are the three amino acid derivative small molecule neurotransmitters?
a. Glutamate
b. GABA
c. Glycine
Which of those three amino acid derived small molecule neurotransmitters is THE
excitatory one?
a. Glutamate
Which of those three amino acid derived small molecule neurotransmitters is THE inhibitory one?
GABA
- Where is glycine inhibitory at?
a. Within the spinal cord
- What are the 5 amine based small molecule neurotransmitters?
- Serotonin
- Histamine
- Dopamine
- Norepinephrine
- Epinephrine
What is the amino acid necessary to create serotonin?
Tryptophan
What amino acid is necessary for DOPA to form?
Tyrosine