11 C Flashcards
How does sensory information flow?
From neuron to neuron
What are neurons functionally connected by?
Synapses
What are synapses?
Junctions that mediate information transfer (neuron to neuron or from one neuron to an effector cell)
What are the two common types of synapses?
Axodendritic and axosomatic
Where do axodendritic synapses occur?
Between axon terminals of one neuron and dendrites of others
Where do axosomatic synapses occur?
Between axon terminals of one axon and the body (soma) of another
What are the 3 less common types of synapses?
Axoaxonal
Dendrodendritic
Somatodendritic
Where does a presynaptic neuron send impulses?
Towards the synapse
Where do postsynaptic neurons send impulses?
Transmits electrical signals away from synapse (receives information)
In the PNS what are postsynaptic neurons?
Muscle cells, neurons or gland cells
What kind of synapses are more common, electrical or chemical?
chemical
What are electrical synapses?
Neurons that are electrically coupled (joined by gap junctions)
Synchronize activity
Nerve impulses remain electrical
Where are electrical synapses most abundant?
Embryonic nervous tissue
What are chemical synapses specialized for?
Release and reception of chemical neurotransmitters
What are the two parts of chemical synapses?
Axon terminal and neurotransmitter receptor region
Where is the axon terminal
Presynaptic neuron
has synaptic vesicles with neurotransmitters to be released
Where is the neurotransmitter receptor region?
On the postsynaptic neuron’s membrane
On dendrite or cell body
What are the two parts of the chemical synapse separated by?
Synaptic cleft (fluid filled space)
What is allowed because of electrical impulses changing to chemical across synapse and then back into electrical?
Nerve impulse regulation (allows for decision for propagation or termination of impulse)
More fine tune regulation
What does the synaptic cleft prevent?
Nerve impulses from directly passing from one neuron to the next (its a barrier)
What does the transmission across a synaptic cleft depend on?
Release, diffusion, and receptor bind of neurotransmitters to their receptors
What direction of communication does synaptic cleft allow for between neurons?
Unidirectional communication
Does a chemical or electrical event happen across the synaptic cleft?
Chemical event
What arrives at the axon terminal of presynaptic neuron to start transmission across chemical synapses?
Action potential
What does the action potential arrival at the presynaptic neuron cause?
Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels to open and Ca2+ then flows into the cell
What protein in the presynaptic neuron binds to calcium and what does it cause?
Synaptotagmin protein binds to calcium and promotes fusion of synaptic vesicles with the axon membrane
What is exocytosed from the presynaptic neuron after synaptic vesicles bind to the axon membrane?
Neurotransmitter is exocytosed into the synaptic cleft
higher impulse frequency causes more to be released
Where do neurotransmitters bind after they diffuse across the synapse?
Binds to receptors on the post synaptic neuron (often chemically gated ion channels0
What happens to ion channels when the neurotransmitter binds to it?
They are opened and an inhibitory or excitatory even happens (graded potential)
What are the three ways a neurotransmitter effect is terminated?
An astrocyte or axon terminal reuptakes the neurotransmitter
Enzymes degrade it
It diffuses away from synaptic cleft
What is synaptic delay?
Rate limiting step of neural transmission
time needed for neurotransmitter to be released, diffuse across synapse, and bind to receptors
How do neurotransmitter receptors cause graded potentials that vary in strength?
The amount of neurotransmitter released
The time the neurotransmitter stays in area
What are the two types of postsynaptic potentials?
EPSP- excitatory postsynaptic potentials
IPSP - inhibitory postsynaptic potentials
What happens During an excitatory synapse?
The neurotransmitter binding opens chemically gated channels that allows flow of Na+ and K in opposite directions (Na+ influx is greater than K+ efflux)
When does EPSP help trigger AP?
If EPSP is of threshold strength
Where can the EPSP spread to? What does this cause?
The axon hillock (cone shaped part of the soma)
This triggers opening of voltage gated channels and causes AP to be generated
What does IPSPS do to the neuron?
Reduces postsynaptic neuron’s ability to produce an action potential
What does IPSPS do to the membrane of a neuron?
Makes the membrane more permeable to K+ or Cl-
What is IPSP?
A local hyperpolarization of postsynaptic membrane that drives the neuron away from AP threshold (less likely to be genrated)
TF: A single EPSP can induce an action potential
False
How do EPSPs influence postsynaptic neurons?
By summation
TF: Most neurons receive both excitatory and inhibitory inputs from many other neurons
True
What are the two types of summation?
Temporal summation
Spatial summation
What happens in temporal summation?
One or more presynaptic neurons transmit impulses in rapid fire order (TIME)