nervous controll Flashcards
what is the function of nerve cells
transmit signals around the body
what are the adaptations of a nerve cell
- large amount of RER - make proteins and neurotransmitters
- dendrite to connect with other nerve cells
- axon long to carry electrical impulses quickly
Schwan cells made of fat and insulate axon. can also carry out phagocytosis and help nerve regeneration. Make up myelin sheath. Gaps called nodes of ranveir - lots of mitochondria for AT
what 2 states can a nerve be found in
- resting potential
- action potential
which is an active process resting/action potential?
resting potential state
explain how cell achieves resting potential
- sodium ions pumped out of cell
- same time potassium ions pumped in (for every 3 sodium ions, only 2 pumped in )
- mroe sodium outside, chemical gradient
- small number of ions move through membrane by facilitated diffusion through specific channel proteins. There are more channel proteins specific to K+ then Na+ ions
- net result of these ions movements is that mroe positive ions outside the neurone then inside - leading to resting potential fo -70mV (polarised)
how does the cell achieve action potential
- stimulus received by cell - membrane depolarised - action potential
- energy from stimulus causes voltage gated channel open allowing sodium diffuse in
- sodium diffuses in, mroe channels open -> more sodium ions
- once cells reached +40mV, gate closes and pot ions gates open
- Pot ions diffuse out of cell - repolarise
- cell then re-polarises as before, during refractory period no mroe action pot can be produced
how is an action potential passed on in an unmyelinated axon
when action potential starts; like chain reaction in an unmyelinated axon
- at rest. More Na+ outside cell. More K+ inside. Axon polarised. Overall -ve
- stimulus cuases Na+ rush in to axon and membrane depolarised
- localised circuit continues along axon. Areas behind closing Na gates and openeing Pot gates
- action potential moves along axon, areas behind become poalrised
- Na+ actively pumped out to bring cell back to restiating state/pot
how is the action potential passed on in a myelin sheath
- instead action pot moving at steady pace, moves in localised cirucits instead
- along axon gaps (nodes of ranvier) action pot only occur at these points as myelin sheath - insulator
- action potential jumps from node to node - quciker
what method is the transmittion of action potential myelin sheath known as
saltatory conduction
what affects the speed of an action potential
- myelin sheath (x3 faster)
- diameter of axon (greater dimater - faster - less leakage
- temperature - greater temp - faster ROD (resp controlled enzymes, higher temp faster AT)
why is it important to have a refractory period after an action potential?
- ensures impulses is uni-directional
- makes action potentials discrete - compeltely seprate from each other
- limits number of action potentials
- strength of stimulus can therefore be determined by freuqnecy of nerve impulses, not the size of impulse as this does not change
where is a synpase found
between end of neurone and effector
what happens during the pre synaptic period?
- voltage gated calcium channels open
- causes influx of Ca2+ into cell
- increase in Ca2+ causes vesicles containing the neurotransmitter to fuse with pre-synaptic membrane causing the contents to be released by exocytosis
- neurotransmitter then floods the synaptic cleft and diffuses across
what happens in the post synaptic membrane
- when ach released in synaptic cleft binds to specific regiosn on the channel
- binding causes a conformational chnage and wihtin a few ms, the channel opens allowing Na+ to pass into the post synaptic cell
- the influx of Na+ causes the cell to become depoalrised and initates an action ptoential
- this type of neurotransmitter said to be excitatory
- some neurotransmitters (GABA) allow Cl- to move into cell instead, opposite effect said to be inhibatory
what is found in abundance on the post-synaptic memebrane
transmitter-gated ion chanel