Lecture 4. Pharmacology of the Peripheral Nervous System: Form and Function

Question 1

What makes up the central nervous system?

Answer 1

Brain & spinal cord

Question 2

What makes up the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 2

All nerves outside the brain and spinal cord

Question 3

What do afferent fibres carry?

Answer 3

Sensory information to the CNS

Question 4

What do efferent fibres carry?

Answer 4

Signals from the CNS to the periphery

Question 5

What does the ventral horn contain?

Answer 5

Somatic motor neurones

Question 6

What does the lateral horn contain?

Answer 6

Spinal preganglionic neurones of autonomic nerve system

Question 7

What is the active zone of a synapse?

Answer 7

Where neurotransmitter is released

Question 8

How large are synaptic vesicles?

Answer 8

~40nm

Question 9

What neurotransmitter is released from a synapse found in the somatic nervous system and where does it release the neurotransmitter?

Answer 9

Acetylcholine, into the skeletal muscle

Question 10

What are preganglionic neurones?

Answer 10

Neurones that arise in the brain stem or lateral horn of the spinal cord and synapse with the postganglionic neurones

Question 11

What are postganglionic neurones?

Answer 11

The cell bodies of which are contained within an autonomic ganglion (a collection of nerve cell bodies) that lies outside the CNS. The nerve endings of postganglionic neurones synapse with their effector cells in tissues that include visceral smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, vascular smooth muscle and exocrine glands

Question 12

What neurotransmitter is released from all parasympathetic postganglionic neurones at the neuroeffector junction?

Answer 12

Acetylcholine

Question 13

What is the neurotransmitter released from the majority of the postganglionic neurones of the sympathetic system?

Answer 13

Noradrenaline

Question 14

What cells releases adrenaline?

Answer 14

Chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla

Question 15

How can synapses be classified?

Answer 15

According to the transmitter released from the presynaptic neurone

Question 16

What does cholinergic mean?

Answer 16

Transmission where the presynaptic neurone synthesises and releases acetylcholine (ACh)

Question 17

What are cholinoceptors?

Answer 17

Receptors upon which ACh acts

Question 18

What are nicotinic cholinoceptors (nAChR)?

Answer 18

Activated by ACh or the tobacco alkaloid nicotine but not by muscarine

Question 19

What are muscarinic cholinoceptors (mAChR)?

Answer 19

Activated by ACh or the fungal alkaloid muscarine but not by nicotine

Question 20

What does noradrenergic mean?

Answer 20

Transmission where synapses where the transmitter is noradrenaline

Question 21

What are the two classes of adrenorecptor in the nervous system?

Answer 21

α-adrenoceptors and β-adrenoceptors

Question 22

What type of channel and receptor are nicotinic cholinoceptors?

Answer 22

Ligand-gated ion channels - ionotropic receptors

Question 23

What type of channel and receptor are muscarinic cholinoceptors and all subtypes of adrenoceptor?

Answer 23

G-protein-coupled receptors - metabotropic receptors

Question 24

How many acetylcholine muscarinic receptors are there?

Answer 24

5

Question 25

What activated GIRK channels?

Answer 25

β and γ subunits

Question 26

What does the PNS regulate?

Answer 26

The activity of all peripheral organs through coordination with the CNS

Question 27

What are the major divisions of the PNS?

Answer 27

Somatic nervous system - serves skeletal muscle
Enteric nervous system - serves the gut
Autonomic nervous systems - serves all other organs

Question 28

What two systems are found in the autonomic nervous systems?

Answer 28

Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

Question 29

What is the sympathetic nervous system predominantly concerned with?

Answer 29

“Fight or flight” response

Question 30

What is the parasympathetic nervous system predominantly concerned with?

Answer 30

“Rest and digest” function