Biopsychology - Synaptic transmission Flashcards
What is a synapse?
The junction between an axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron.
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical released at a synapse.
Excitatory neurotransmitters increase the chance the neuron will fire. This happens by increasing the positive charge at the post synaptic neuron.
Inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease the chance the neuron will fire by decreasing the charge at the post synaptic neuron.
What is the synaptic transmission process?
An action potential travels down dendrites, along the axon to the axon terminals.
The action potential causes the synaptic vesicles to fuse with the cell membrane and release the contents of the neurotransmitters to diffuse across the synaptic cleft. The electrical signal is transferred into a chemical message.
The neurotransmitters bind with the receptors on the dendrites of the receiving neuron and pass on the meassge.
What is summation?
Whether there are more excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters.
If there are more excitatory, the signal will transmit and start an action potential in the next neuron. If there are more inhibitory, the post synaptic neuron will not fire.
