All Content Flashcards
How fast are action potentials
Action potentials can travel at up to 120 m/s triggering at the nerve terminal, the release of neurotransmitters
What is the function of neurotransmitters?
Neurotransmitters carry the signal across the synaptic cleft. From the pre-synaptic neuron to the post-synaptic effector cell
What are the 5 steps of neurotransmitter release?
- Synthesis of Transmitter
- Storage in vesicles
- Release
- Activation of Post-Synaptic Receptors
- Inactivation
What happens in the release state of neurotransmitter release?
Action potential comes down to nerve terminal, where they are densely expressed voltage gated calcium channels. Depolarisation caused by action potential opens the calcium channels, calcium funnels into the nerve terminal, which is essential in causing the coordinated release or exocytosis of transmitter from the vesicles
How can drugs enhance synaptic transmission directly?
Direct stimulation of post synaptic receptors by
1. the natural transmitter
2. analogues - compounds that interact/activate the receptor
How can drugs enhance synaptic transmission indirectly?
Indirect action via
1. increased transmitter release
2. inhibition of transmitter removal
How can drugs inhibit synaptic transmission?
- Blocking synthesis, storage or release from the pre synaptic neurone
- Blocking postsynaptic receptors
What are agonists?
drugs, hormones, or transmitters which bind to specific receptors and initiate a conformational change in the receptor resulting in a biological response
What does affinity mean?
The ability to bind to receptors
What does efficacy mean?
the ability of an agonist, once bound to a receptor, to initiate a biological response
How do agonists work and what do they possess?
Agonists bind to receptors and activate them
Agonists possess both affinity and efficacy
How do antagonists work and what do they possess?
Antagonists bind to receptors but do not activate them
Antagonists possess affinity but lack efficacy
Antagonists block receptor activation by agonists
How do competitive antagonists work?
Competitive antagonists competes with the agonist for the “agonist binding site” on the receptor
Block is reversed by increasing agonist concentration
What are the 2 classes of cholinoceptor?
Nicotinic cholinoceptors - activated by ACh or the tobacco alkaloid nicotine but not by muscarine
Muscarinic cholinoceptors - activated by ACh or the fungal alkaloid muscarine but not by nicotine
How do you calculate Quantal Content?
mean EPP amplitude / mean MEPP amplitude
How does tetrodotoxin work?
Blocks Na+ channels (no action potential - no release, no EPP)
How does Conotoxins work?
Voltage gated Ca2+ cannels blocked (decrease Ca2+ influx - decreased release)
The EPP amplitude decreases; no change in the MEPP amplitude. A decreased quantal content
How does Dendrotoxin?
Dendrotoxin blocks voltage gated K+ channels - prolonged action potential
Increased Ca2+ influx - increased release
Increased epp amplitude; mepp amplitude - no change. Quantal content Increased