Exam 1 Flashcards
Who developed the neuron staining method
Golgi
what theory did Golgi refute as a result of his staining method?
the reticular theory
Cajal used the golgi stain to do what?
study the development and anatomical diversity of neurons
what are the four tenets of the neuron doctrine?
- The neuron is the structural and functional unit of the nervous system
- Neurons are individual cells, which are not anatomically continuous to other neurons
- The neuron has three parts: dendrites, soma (cell body) and axon. The axon has several terminal arborizations, which make close contact to dendrites or the soma of other neurons
- Conduction takes place in the direction from dendrites to soma, to the end arborizations of the axon (Law of Dynamic Polarization)
amacrine means:
no axon
what cellular structural units run down the length of the axon?
microtubules
Name the 5 functions of glial cells:
- help maintain ionic environments
- regulate synaptic transmission
- involved in neurotransmitter reuptake
- scaffold indevelopment
- promote and inhibit recovery from injury
______ cells are phagocytic (type of nerve cell)
microglial
Is the stimulus related to the signal amplitude in a passive response (receptor potential or synaptic potential)?
What about an active response (action potential)?
No
Yes
Electrochemical voltages are dependent on two factors:
Ionic concentration gradients
Selective permeability
Ion ____ create concentration gradients, while ion _____ cause selective permeability
transporters
channels
equilibrium potential for a particular ion is the voltage at which _________
net flux of the ion across the membrane is zero
nernst equation can calculate:
the equilibrium potential for a single permeant ion
what is the nernst equation?
Eion = 58log[ion]2/[ion]1
remember, if the charge on the ion is anything besides +1 then you need to take that into account
Goldman Equation:
can estimate the membrane potential by considering the relative permeability of all permeant ions.
the value of a cell membrane potential will be closest to:
the equilibrium potential of the most permeant ion
ganglion-
primarily a collection of cell bodies
why is the squid giant axon so big?
increased axon diameter leads to faster conduction velocity.
Hodgkin and Katz ran an experiment in which they plotted the change in membrane potential with increasing extracellular K concentration. What did they find?
the relationship was not linear, implying that K was not the only ion that contributed to resting membrane potential.
Hodgkin and Katz also experimented with Na and found 2 things:
Changing Na concentration did not really have an effect on membrane potential.
Lowering the extracellular Na concentration lead to smaller amplitude action potentials.
Hodgkin and Huxley hypothesized and subsequently proved what hypothesis?
Sodium and Potassium permeability was necessary and sufficient for action potential production
Voltage Clamp –
allows experimenter to control voltage, and records the current moving across the plasma membrane
In the voltage clamp method, a recording electrode and reference electrode register the axon membrane potential and send that information to the ________, which compares that potential to the ________ potential. If the potentials are different, the ________ injects current into the axon to make the membrane potential the same as the _______. The current flowing back into the axon can then be measured.
In the voltage clamp method, a recording electrode and reference electrode register the axon membrane potential and send that information to the voltage clamp amplifier, which compares that potential to the command potential. If the potentials are different, the clamp amplifier injects current into the axon to make the membrane potential the same as the command potential. The current flowing back into the axon can then be measured.
When membrane potential becomes more positive than Ena, which direction does sodium flow?
out of the cell
what toxin blocks Na+ channels? what is the result?
- tetrodotoxin
- early inward current blocked
what toxin blocks K+ channels? what is the result?
- tetraethylammonium
- the late outward current is blocked
membrane conductance changes underlying the action potential are _____ and _____ dependent.
- time
- voltage
the more appropriate functional term for the axon hillock is the ________
spike initiation zone
During relative refractory period the membrane can be stimulated to produce an action potential, but the stimulus must be:
stronger than during resting membrane potential
what are the gating parameters for the Na+ gate?
m^3h
what are the gating parameters for the K+ gate?
n^4
In reference to gating parameters:
m stands for-
h stands for-
n stands for-
activation (Na+)
inactivation (Na+)
activation (K+)
Hodgkin and Huxley theorized 4 things about ionic channels for action potentials:
- Large ionic currents/High ionic flux rates
- Currents dependent on E-C gradients for ions
- Conductance pathways of sodium and potassium were independent of each other
- Gates were Voltage-dependent
How are ionic channels voltage dependent?
they contain mobile gating charges whose movement can open and close channels
__________________, in 1976 described a method called patch clamping (learn these names!)
Won Nobel prize in 1991
Bert Sakmann and Erwin Neher
how many charges must move in an Na+ and K+ channel to open them
3 and 4 respectively
what is the resistance of the seal made between the glass patch pipet and membrane?
Why so high?
1 giga-ohm
so current doesn’t leak out
what are the three recording methods of patch clamp?
whole cell recording, inside out recording, and outside out recording.
whole cell recording allows you to measure:
electric potentials and currents from the entire cell
inside out recording allows you to study:
the cytosolic factors that affect channel function
outside out recording allows you to study:
the effect external signals have on channel activity
when you depolarize a cell you do not instantly open all the voltage gated channels, you increase:
increase the probability of channels opening.
how do you get xenopus oocytes to translate ion channels during development?
inject the eggs with mRNA for said ion channels
What species is transfected with ion channel mRNA for study?
What is this process called?
- Xenopus laevis
- site directed mutagenesis