Chapter 2 Flashcards
Synapse
A specialized gap between neurons
Reflexes
Automatic muscular responses to stimuli
Reflex arc
The circuit from sensory neuron to muscle response
Which 3 properties of reflexes did Sherrington Observe
- Reflexes are slower than conduction along an axon
- Several weak stimuli presented at nearby places or times produce a stronger reflex than one stimulus alone does
- When one set of muscles becomes excited, a different set becomes relaxed.
Temporal summation
A synapse is stimulated a second time before the effect of a first stimulus at the synapse has terminated.
Presynaptic neuron
The neuron that delivers transmission
Postsynaptic neuron
The neuron that receives is
Excitatory postsynaptic potential EPSP
synaptic inputs that depolarize the postsynaptic cell, bringing the membrane potential closer to threshold and closer to firing an action potential.
Why a light pinch of the dog’sfoot did not evoke a reflex, but a few rapidly repeated pinches did?
A single pinch did not reach the threshold of excitation for the next neuron
Spatial summation
Summation over space
How did Sherrington find spatial summation
He pinched a dog too weak to elicit a reflex. After that he pinched two points at once.
How did Sherrington find spatial summation
He pinched a dog too weak to elicit a reflex. After that he pinched two points at once.
What was Sherrington’s conclusion about spatial summation?
Pinching two points activated seperate sensory neurons, whose axons converged onto one neuron in the spinal cord. A combination of both exceeded the threshold and produced an action potential.
How does a dog walk?
A pinch on the food sends a message along a sensory neuron to an interneuron that excites the motor neurons connected to the flexor muscles of that leg and the excensor muscles of the other legs
Inhibitory postsynaptic potential IPSP
Temporary hyperpolarization of the membrane
When does an IPSP occur?
When synaptic input selectively opens the gates for potassium ions to leave the cell (carrying a positive charge with them) or for chloride ions to enter the cell (carrying a negative charge)
Spontaneous firing rate
A periodic production of action potentials even without synaptic input
What does the EPSPs and IPSPs do in case of a spontaneous firing rate?
The EPSPs increase the frequency of action potentials above the spontaneous rate, whereas IPSPs decreases it.
the great majority of synapses rely on…
Chemical processes
What did Otto Loewi do/find out and how
He stimulated the vagus nerve to one frog’s heart, decreasing the heartbeat. When he transferred fluid from that heart to another frog’s heart, he observed a decrease in its heartbeat.
So he found out that nerves send messages by releasing chemicals.
Neurotransmitters of Amino Acids
- Glutamate
- GABA
- Glycine
- Aspartate
Neurotransmitters of a modified amino acid
Acetylcholine
Neurotransmitters of monoamines
- Indoleamines: serotonin
- Catecholamines: Dopamine
- Norepinephrine: Epinephrine
Neurotransmitters of Neuropeptides
Endorphins
Neurotransmitters
At a synapse, a neuron releases chemicals that affect another neurons. Those chemicals are neurotransmitters.