anatomy of a neuron Flashcards

1
Q

what are the main cellular components of the prototypical neuron?

A

dendritic tree- receive incoming signals
soma- metabolic centre, gene expression and protein synthesis
axon hillock- initation of AP
myelin
node of ranvier
axon- propagation of AP
axonal arbour- contains presynaptic bouton for transmission

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2
Q

cerebellar purkinje cell structure

A

synpases in dendrites (dendritic spines)
branching increases SA TF increase info to neuron- dendritic tree analogy

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3
Q

function of cerebellar purkinje cell

A

intergration station- lots of info coming from different places

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4
Q

axons vs dendrites in dissociated hippocampal neuron

A
  • dendrites tend to be thicker than axons in an individual neuron
    dendrites have spines, though not always (aspiny neurons are
    inhibitory; spiny neuron can be exitatory or inhibitory)
  • molecular makeup is different, they express different cytosketetal proteins
  • both are electrically active
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5
Q

how can we split neurons into classes?

A
  1. excitatory or inhibitory
  2. number of neurite extensions
  3. stellate and non-stellate multipolar cells
  4. communication distance
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6
Q

example of excitatory neurons

A

glutamatergic

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7
Q

example of inhibitory neurons

A

GABAergic

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8
Q

structure of a polar cell

A

dendrites on one side, axons on the other

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9
Q

are all pyramidal cells inhibitory or excitatory?

A

excitatory

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10
Q

how can we class neurons by extensions?

A

multipolar
bipolar
pseduo-unipolar

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11
Q

structure of stellate cells

A

star-like form that have multiple dendrites that emerge randomly from the soma

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12
Q

examples of stellate cells

A

thalamic nuclei
inferior olivary nucleus neuron
large reticular formation

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13
Q

is the thalamic nuclei a relay or intergration centre?

A

intergration, short dendrites and axons close together, a lot of them

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14
Q

difference between pyramidal and stellate cell

A

in a pyramidal cell, the cell body is shaped like a pyramid
one point at the apical dendrite and multiple at the basal
axon comes out of basal end

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15
Q

where do you find the cell bodies/apical dendrites of cortical pyramidal cells?

A

layer 5 and 3

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16
Q

why do cortical pyramidal cells have long apical dendrites?

A

axons are coming from other pyramidal cells
TF different parts of apical dendrites can pick up connections from different parts of the brain
TF synaptic integration

17
Q

what are the parts of a pyramidal cell?

A

tuft
apical
soma
basal

18
Q

connections in the hippocampus

A

dentate gyrus connects to CA3 connects to CA1 that connects to the subiculum

19
Q

function of inhibitory interneurons (stellate)

A

regulate function and excitatibility of pyramidal cell excitatory neurons
cut off information by synapsing at certain points of apical dendrites
roles on network modulation

20
Q

how can information in the pyramidal cell be blocked?

A

information from tuft can be blocked by inhibitory interneurons as they are above
soma cannot be blocked as it is underneath

21
Q

what are local circuit neurons?

A

neurons with short axons that do not extend beyond the vicinity of the cell body (e.g stellate cells in the cortex and sub-cortical regions)

22
Q

what are projection neurons?

A

neurons with long axons that extend from one part of the brain to another (principally pyramidal cells in the cortex; other cell types in the sub-cortical grey matter)

23
Q

retrograde neuronal tracing steps

A

1.inject dye at axonal arbour
2. dye is transported in retrograde direction
3. soma is stained

24
Q

example of retrograde neuronal tracing

A

injecting dye into somatosensory cortex causes visible dye in the thalamus (cell bodies of 3rd order neurons)
CTB (cholera toxin B labelled with GFP) injection

25
Q

evidence for interhemispheric communication

A

stains in contralateral cortex via corpus callosum

26
Q

using HSV (herpes simplex virus) as a retrograde tracer

A

see all the cells projected from the injected area not the area itself
e.g if you inject the auditory cortex there is dye in the secondary and contralateral cortex and medial geniculate body