13 - Neural Communication Flashcards
What is a stimulus?
A change in the internal or external environment of an organism
What is a sensory receptor?
Specialised nerve cell that is designed to respond to a specific sensory stimulus
What are the two main features of any sensory receptor?
- Acts as a transducer 2. Is specific to a single stimulus
What is a pacinian corpuscle?
They are nerve endings in the skin, responsible for sensitivity to deep pressure touch
What type of energy do sensory receptors convert stimuli into?
Electrical energy
What are the 3 main parts of a neurone?
Cell body, dendrons, axons
Why do Pacinian Corpuscles stop responding when pressure is constant?
They are only sensitive to changes in pressure
What is the structure of a Pacinian Corpuscle?
Oval shaped, with many concentric rings of connective tissue which are wrapped around a nerve ending
How do Pacinian Corpuscles work?
Pressure on the skin deforms the rings of connective tissue, which then press against the nerve ending
What 2 organelles are very prevalent within a neurone’s cell body and why?
Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, in order to produce lots of neurotransmitters
What are dendrons responsible for?
Transmitting electrical impulses towards the cell body
What are axons responsible for?
Transmitting electrical impulses away from the cell body
How many axons and dendrons does a sensory neurone have?
One of each
How many axons and dendrons does a relay neurone have?
Many short ones of each
How many axons and dendrons does a motor neurone have?
One long axon and many short dendrons
What is a myelinated neurone?
One covered in a myelin sheath (many layers of cell membrane)
What is the function of a Schwann Cell?
Produce myelin sheaths by growing around the neurone many times
What is the resting potential of a neuron?
-70mV
How many times quicker can a myelinated neurone conduct a nerve impulse than an unmyelinated neurone?
Up to 100 times quicker
What is the purpose of a myelin sheath?
Electrically insulates the axon of a neuron and increases speed of nerve impulse conduction.
What is a node of Ranvier?
A small gap in the myelin sheath of a nerve, between adjacent Schwann cells.
Why is the transmission of electrical impulses so much faster in myelinated neurones?
The electrical impulse ‘jumps’ between the nodes of Ranvier, which is much quicker than being continuously transmitted along an unmyelinated neurone
What neurones are myelinated in mammals?
Around 1/3 of peripheral neurones
What neurones are not myelinated in mammals?
All of them in the CNS and approximately 2/3 of the peripheral nervous system
What are the 4 main types of sensory receptor in an animal?
- Mechanoreceptor 2. Photoreceptor 3. Chemoreceptor 4. Thermoreceptor
What special type of ion channel is found within Pacinian Corpuscles?
Stretch-mediated sodium channels
How is a generator potential created within a Pacinian Corpuscle?
The change in pressure causes stretch-mediated sodium channels to become permeable to sodium, causing an influx of positive sodium ions which depolarises the membrane
What is resting potential?
The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron’s cell membrane when it is not transmitting an action potential
When at its resting potential, why is a membrane said to be polarised?
Because there is a potential difference across it (i.e. a different charge on each side)
Movement of what creates the resting potential?
Sodium and potassium ions across the membrane of the neurone
What distance do myelinated and unmyelinated neurones tend to transmit nerve impulses?
Myelinated tend to transmit further, hence the need for quicker transmission than the shorter, unmyelinated neurones
Why can’t sodium or potassium ions travel across the neuronal membrane via simple diffusion?
They cannot pass through the phospholipid bilayer
How does the sodium potassium pump work?
ATP causes the membrane to transport 3 sodium ions out of the neurone, and this causes 2 potassium ions to enter via the same pump
What does the action of the sodium potassium pump cause in terms of diffusion of sodium and potassium ions?
Potassium ions try to diffuse out of the neurone, sodium ions try to diffuse back in
How is resting potential maintained?
There are more gated potassium channels open in the neuronal membrane than gated sodium channels. This means that more potassium can diffuse out than sodium can diffuse back in, giving a relative negative charge within the neurone
At resting potential, is the inside of the neurone more negative or positive than the outside?
More negative
What happens to the charges on the sensory neurone’s membrane when a stimulus is detected?
They are temporarily reversed
What is the membrane’s charge during an action potential?
40mV
What is depolarization of a membrane?
The change of the membrane’s charge from negative to positive
What is repolarization of a membrane?
The return of the membrane’s charge from positive to negative, restoring the resting potential
What is hyperpolarisation?
Where, during the process of repolarisation, the membrane temporarily becomes more negatively charged than the resting potential
What causes an action potential?
The opening of voltage-gated sodium channels allows sodium ions to enter the neurone, which in turn changes the potential difference of the neurone and causes more voltage-gated sodium channels to open
What causes voltage-gated sodium channels to open, triggering an action potential?
The energy of the stimulus being, converted to electrical energy by the sensory receptor
What is the opening of more and more sodium ion channels during an action potential an example of?
Positive feedback
What occurs when the charge reaches +40mV due to depolarisation?
The voltage-gated sodium channels close and voltage-gated potassium channels open.
What causes repolarisation?
Opening of K+ channels allowing K+ out of the cell, whilst the closing of the Na+ channels means that no more can enter.
What causes hyperpolarisation?
So many potassium ions leave the cell that its charge is somewhat more negative than during resting potential
What occurs after hyperpolarisation?
The voltage-gated potassium channels close and the sodium-potassium pumps restore resting potential
What is a nerve impulse?
An action potential which starts at one end of the neurone and is propagated along it to the other end
How is a nerve impulse propagated along the neurone?
The local electrical currents created by the movement of Na+ ions during depolarisation of one end of the neurone causes the voltage-gated sodium channels a little further along the neurone to open, propagating the nerve impulse
What is the refractory period?
A short period of time after an action potential during which a neurone cannot be stimulated again, as the voltage-gated sodium channels remain closed
Why is the refractory period important in neurones?
Because it ensures that nerve impulses are not propagated back along the neurone as well as forwards, and also that the action potentials do not overlap, but rather exist as discrete impulses
What is saltatory conduction?
The propagation of action potentials along myelinated axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, increasing the conduction velocity of action potentials.
Why is saltatory conduction more energy efficient?
Because you are opening fewer channels at the nodes, and so less ATP is used in return
What 2 things other than myelination affect the speed of transmission of a nerve impulse?
- Axon diameter 2. Temperature
How does axon diameter affect speed of conduction?
The bigger the diameter of the axon, the quicker the transmission, as there is less resistance to the flow of ions
How does temperature affect speed of conduction in neurones?
Generally, the higher the temperature, the faster the impulse, as ions diffuse faster at higher temperatures. However, this isn’t the case above 40°C as the membrane proteins begin to denature
What type of response are action potentials said to be?
All-or-nothing responses
What is the threshold value for a neurone?
The level of stimulus needed to trigger a response
What is the all-or-nothing principle?
The idea that, if the threshold value is reached, this will always cause an action potential to occur, and that the action potential will always be the same size no matter the size of the stimulus
How does size of the stimulus affect the number of impulses generated in a given time?
Larger stimuli cause impulses to be generated more frequently
Why are axons generally narrow?
To create greater resistance, and thus a greater temperature, which increases transmission speed
Can unmyelinated neurones be wrapped in Schwann cells?
Yes, but generally only one Schwann cell wrapped loosely around a few neurones to make the action potential travel along them in a wave
What are 4 ways a Synapse can be disrupted?
- Agonists- mimic the neurotransmitter 2. Blocking- prevent neurotransmitters reaching receptors 3. Enzyme inhibitors 4. Neurotransmitter inhibitors- block Ca2+ channels in the presynaptic membrane
What type of synapse disruptor is nicotine?
An agonist, as it mimics acetylcholine
What type of synapse disruptor is curare?
A blocker, as it blocks acetylcholine
What type of synapse disruptors are organophosphates?
Enzyme inhibitors
What type of synapse disruptors are opiates?
Neurotransmitter inhibitor
What is a synapse?
The junction between two adjacent neurones
What chemicals are used to convey messages in synapses?
Neurotransmitters
What is the gap between two neurones at a synapse called?
Synaptic cleft
What is the presynaptic knob?
The bulbous end of the presynaptic neurone, where the neurotransmitters are released from
What two organelles does the presynaptic neurone and why?
Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, in order to help it manufacture neurotransmitters
What are synaptic vesicles?
Vesicles containing neurotransmitters which fuse with the membrane of the presynaptic neurone
What are the two main types of neurotransmitter?
Excitatory and Inhibitory
What is an example of an excitatory neurotransmitter?
Acetylcholine
What do excitatory neurotransmitters do?
Depolarise the postsynaptic neurone, approaching or exceeding threshold
What do inhibitory neurotransmitters do?
Cause hyperpolarisation of the postsynaptic neurone, preventing further transmission of the action potential
What is an example of an inhibitory neurotransmitter?
GABA
What two places are cholinergic synapses common?
- The CNS of vertebrates 2. Neuromuscular junctions
What is the neuromuscular junction?
Meeting point of a motor neurone and a muscle cell
What neurotransmitter do cholinergic synapses use?
Acetylcholine
What enzyme breaks down acetylcholine?
Acetylcholinesterase
What does Acetylcholinesterase break acetylcholine down into?
Ethanoic Acid and Choline
What happens to the broken down products of acetylcholine?
They reenter the presynaptic bulb seperately by diffusion, and recombine to form acetylcholine