Chemical Signaling by Neurotransmitters and Hormones Flashcards

1
Q

What are the three types of synaptic connections?

A
  • Axodendritic
  • Axosomatic
  • Axoaxonic
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2
Q

What are the most common synapses in the brain?

A

Axodendritic

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3
Q

What’s an axodendritic synapse?

A

An axon terminal from the presynaptic neuron communicates with a dendrite of the postsynaptic cell

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4
Q

What are axosomatic synapses?

A

Synapses between a nerve terminal and a nerve cell body

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5
Q

What are axoaxonic synapses?

A

One axon synapses on the terminal of another axon

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6
Q

Neuromuscular junction

A

The connection point between a neuron and a muscle

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7
Q

Neuromuscular junction

A

The connection point between a neuron and a muscle

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8
Q

What are some amino acids?

A
  • Glutamate
  • GABA
  • Glycine
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9
Q

What are some monoamines?

A
  • Dopamine
  • Norepinephrine
  • Serotonin
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10
Q

Dopamine is what kind of neurotransmitter?

A

Monoamine

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11
Q

Serotonin is what kind of neurotransmitter?

A

Monoamine

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12
Q

Norepinephrine is what kind of neurotransmitter?

A

Monoamine

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13
Q

GABA is what kind of neurotransmitter?

A

Amino acid

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14
Q

Glycine is what kind of neurotransmitter?

A

Amino acid

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15
Q

Glutamate is what kind of neurotransmitter?

A

Amino acid

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16
Q

What are some functions of amino acids?

A
  • Serve as building blocks of proteins

- Metabolic things

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17
Q

What is the largest group of “nonclassical” neurotransmitters?

A

Neuropeptides

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18
Q

Where are neurotransmitters manufactured?

A

Anywhere in the cell (except for neuropeptides)

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19
Q

What is the most recently discovered group of neurotransmitters?

A

Gaseous transmitters

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20
Q

Exocytosis

A

A fusion of the vesicle membrane with the membrane of the axon terminal

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21
Q

Active zones

A

Specialized regions near the postsynaptic cell, which stain darkly on the electron micrograph

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22
Q

What is required for exocytosis to take place?

A

A vesicle must be transported to an active zone, and then “dock” to the active zone

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23
Q

Vesicle recycling

A

The continuous release and reformation of vesicles

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24
Q

Neurotransmitter release is regulated by what different mechanisms?

A
  • Rate of cell firing
  • Probability of transmitter release from the terminal
  • Presence of autoreceptors on axon terminals or cell bodies and dendrites
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25
Q

What happens when a neuron is rapidly firing action potentials?

A

It will release much more transmitter

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26
Q

What are the two different types of autoreceptors?

A
  • Terminal autoreceptors

- Somatodendritic autoreceptors

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27
Q

What is the main function of terminal autoreceptors?

A

To inhibit further transmitter release

28
Q

What is the main function of somatodendritic autoreceptors?

A

To slow the rate of cell firing

29
Q

What is the main function of somatodendritic autoreceptors?

A

To slow the rate of cell firing

30
Q

What are the ways of neurotransmitter inactivation?

A
  • Enzymatic breakdown
  • Reuptake by the axon terminal
  • Uptake by nearby glial cells
31
Q

Reuptake

A

Transport out of the synaptic cleft by the same cell that released the transmitter

32
Q

What are the two types of neurotransmitter receptors?

A
  • Metabotropic receptors

- Ionotropic receptors

33
Q

What is another name for ionotropic receptors?

A

Ligand-gated channel receptors

34
Q

Which type of neurotransmitter receptor goes through desensitization?

A

Ionotropic receptors

35
Q

Desensitization

A

The channel remains closed even though there may be ligand molecules bound to the receptor

36
Q

Once desensitization occurs, what must happen before the channel can be activated again?

A

It must resensitize

37
Q

What are the two major mechanisms by which all G proteins operate?

A
  • By stimulating or inhibiting the opening of ion channels in the cell membrane
  • By stimulating or inhibiting certain enzymes in the cell membrane
38
Q

Protein kinases

A

Enzymes that phosphorylate a protein

39
Q

Phosphorylate

A

To catalyze the addition of one or more phosphate groups to the molecule

40
Q

What are the second-messenger systems?

A
  • Cyclic AMP (cAMP)
  • Cyclic GMP (cGMP)
  • Phosphoinositide
  • Calcium (Ca2+)
41
Q

What is the associated protein kinase for cyclic AMP?

A

Protein kinase A (PKA)

42
Q

What is the associated protein kinase for cyclic GMP?

A

Protein kinase G (PKG)

43
Q

What is the associated protein kinase for phosphoinositide?

A

Protein kinase C (PKC)

44
Q

What is the associated protein kinase for calcium?

A

Calcium/calmodulin kinase (CaMK)

45
Q

Tyrosine kinase receptors

A

Receptors that mediate the action of neurotropic factors

46
Q

What are the three specific tyrosine kinase receptors that are used by neurotropic factors?

A
  • trkA for NGF
  • trkB for BDNF and NT-4
  • trkC for NT-3
47
Q

What are the two ways to reduce the inactivation of a neurotransmitter?

A
  • By blocking the enzyme involved in its breakdown

- For neurotransmitters that use transporters for reuptake out of the synaptic cleft, by blocking those transporters

48
Q

Where are the adrenal glands located?

A

Over each kidney

49
Q

What is the inner part of the adrenal gland?

A

The adrenal medulla

50
Q

What are the cells of the adrenal medulla called?

A

Chromaffin cells

51
Q

What is the outer part of the adrenal gland?

A

The adrenal cortex

52
Q

What is one of the main functions of glucocorticoids?

A

To maintain normal blood glucose levels while helping to store excess glucose for future use

53
Q

What hormone is secreted by the adrenal cortex?

A

Glucocorticoids

54
Q

Where is the thyroid gland located?

A

In the throat

55
Q

Where is the pineal gland located?

A

Just over the brainstem

56
Q

Where is the pituitary gland located?

A

Just under the hypothalamus

57
Q

Describe step 1 in figure 3.5

A

Neurotransmitter is synthesized and then stored in vesicles

58
Q

Describe step 2 in figure 3.5

A

An action potential invades the presynaptic terminal

59
Q

Describe step 3 in figure 3.5

A

Depolarization of presynaptic terminal causes opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels

60
Q

Describe step 4 in figure 3.5

A

Influx of Ca2+ ions through channels

61
Q

Describe step 5 in figure 3.5

A

Ca2+ causes vesicles to fuse with presynaptic membrane

62
Q

Describe step 6 in figure 3.5

A

Neurotransmitter is released into synaptic cleft via exocytosis

63
Q

Describe step 7 in figure 3.5

A

Neurotransmitter binds to receptor molecules in postsynaptic membrane

64
Q

Describe step 8 in figure 3.5

A

Opening or closing of postsynaptic channels

65
Q

Describe step 9 in figure 3.5

A

Postsynaptic current causes excitatory or inhibitory postsynaptic potential that changes the excitability of the postsynaptic cell

66
Q

Describe step 10 in figure 3.5

A

Retrieval of vesicular membrane from plasma membrane