Chapter 11 (Part 3) Flashcards
what do you call the synapse region of a motor neuron?
the neuromuscular junction
what do you call the axon end of a motor neuron?
terminal bouton
what NT do motor neurons release?
acetylcholine
what do you call the postsynaptic membrane equivalent of a motor neuron?
motor end plate
an end plate-potential is ______ sufficient to _______ the muscle fiber membrane and the muscle will contract
always, depolarize
what do you call depolarization of a motor neuron?
end-plate potential
what happens with a black widow spider bite?
toxin gets inserted into presynaptic membrane and triggers massive release of acetylcholine
what is the most lethal biological substance known?
botulinum toxin
botulinum toxin results in? (2)
muscle weakness and paralysis
what happens with botulinum toxin?
destroys terminal boutons
what is curare?
a reversible competitive inhibitor of nicotinic cholinergic receptors
what are organophosphates? what do they do?
active ingredients in insecticides and nerve gas
interfere with acetylcholinesterase
what is myasthenia gravis?
a formerly fatal autoimmune disease
what happens in myasthenia gravis?
autoantibodies bind to nicotinic cholinergic receptors on the motor end plate
effects of curare?
skeletal muscle paralysis, death by asphyxiation due to paralysis of the diaphragm
