Chemical Neurotransmission Flashcards
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers released from one neuron to communicate with another (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA)
Neurons
The primary functional cells of the brain. Key parts include the cell body, dendrites, and axon.
Synapse
The gap between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released and bind to receptors on the post-synaptic neuron. Can form on many parts of the neuron. Communication is anterograde from the axon of the first neuron to the dendrite, soma, or axon of the second neuron.
Chemical communication happens ___________ and electrical communication happens___________. Fill blank with where.
Chemical communication at synapses and electrical communication within the neuron.
Volume neurotransmission (nonsynaptic diffusion neurotransmission)
chemical messengers sent by one neuron to another can spill over to sites distant to the synapse by diffusion; neurotransmission can occur at any compatible receptor within the diffusion radius of the neurotransmitter (like wifi transmitting to devices)
Receptors
Proteins located on the surface of neurons that bind to neurotransmitters. Receptor activation can either excite or inhibit the post-synaptic neuron.
Excitation-secretion coupling
how a neuron transduces an electrical stimulus into a chemical event
Agonists
Substances that bind to and activate receptors
Antagonists
Substances that bind to and block the effects of neurotransmitters
Ion Channels
When activated by neurotransmitters, these channels open to allow ions (e.g., Na+, K+, Cl-) to pass into or out of the neuron, influencing its electrical activity
G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)
Receptors that activate secondary messengers inside the cell to exert their effects indirectly
Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Trigger cellular responses through enzyme activation after binding to neurotransmitters
