Neuronal learning Flashcards
The cellular basis of long-term memory is _______ _______, which refers to the ability of the nervous system to ______ and ________.
The cellular basis of long-term memory is [neuronal plasticity], which refers to the ability of the nervous system to [change and adapt].
What are the 2 things researchers research when studying neuronal plasticity? (list don’t explain)
Intrinsic excitability and synaptic strength
- What are we looking at when measuring the intrinsic excitability of a neuron?
- How do we measure this?
- How many action potentials does a neuron exhibit in response to injections of depolarizing current?
- We measure this by injecting depolarizing current into a neuron and counting the number of action potentials it has
- What are we looking at when measuring the synaptic strength of a neuron?
- A change in synaptic strength is called ________ _______
- What’s the size of the response in a postsynaptic neuron when a presynaptic neuron has an action potential?
- Synaptic plasticity
What method do we use to study neuronal plasticity?
BRAIN SLICES 🔪🧠
Anesthetize the animal and inject the beating heart with ice cold salt water - as fast as we can, we take the brain out of the animal & slice it up 😛and we can still see the activity because the membrane closes in on itself; there’s still membrane potential & action potential and neuronal activity
True or false: neurons with more potassium leak channels are more excitable
FALSEEE!! Neurons with fewer potassium leak channels are more excitable.
- What is synaptic plasticity
- How is it necessary for memory and learning?
- It’s the changes in the strength of the synaptic connection between two neurons.
- It allows synapses to become stronger or weaker in response to activity, which is essential for learning and memory.
- What does EPSP stand for
- Does it mean the postsynaptic neuron is more or less likely to fore action potential
- EPSP stands for Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential.
- It indicates that the postsynaptic response is depolarizing, making the postsynaptic neuron more likely to fire an action potential.
What are changes that occur in synaptic plasticity
1. On the pre synaptic side
2. On the post-synaptic side
- Presynaptic side - there can be changes in the number of vesicles, the filling of
vesicles, or the release of vesicles. - Postsynaptic side- there can be changes in the number of receptors, their sensitivity
to neurotransmitter, and their response to neurotransmitter binding
How do changes in the number of vesicles in a presynaptic neuron or how much filling they have affect synaptic transmission?
Increasing the number of vesicles or how well they are filled with neurotransmitter can increase the amount of neurotransmitter released into the synapse, which enhances the strength of the postsynaptic response & increases synaptic efficiency
After habituation..
1. Is the sensory neuron less excitable/sensitive to touch?
2. Is the motor neuron less excitable?
3. Is the motor response less excitable?
- No, it depolarizes the same amount in response to touch the same way
- No, the motor neurons themselves are not less excitable, but….
- yes, the motor response is less excitable & will weaken
After habituation, is the connection between the neurons weaker?
Yes, after habituation, when the sensory neuron spikes, there is a smaller response in the motor neuron
After habituation, on the presynaptic side
1. Are there fewer vesicles
2. Are there less glutamate per vesicle
3. Are vesicles not being released
- Yes there are fewer vesicles
- No there are not fewer glutamate per vesicles
- Yes, the vesicles are not being released
if the siphon of an Aplysia sea slug is touched repeatedly (but gently), the withdrawal reflex gets weaker over time. What is this called?
Habituation - a form of non-associative learning, where the response to a repeated stimulus decreases.
After habituation, on the post synaptic side, are there fewer glutamate receptors? Are these receptors different in some way?
No to both questions
