neurons and synaptic transmission

Question 1

what are the 3 types of neurons

Answer 1

sensory
relay
motor

Question 2

what is the structure of a sensory neurone

Answer 2

dendrites
cell body within axon
myelin sheath

Question 3

what is the structure of a motor neurone

Answer 3

dendrite
axon (myelin sheath)
cell body at the end of the axon

Question 4

outline the synaptic transmission

Answer 4

Once the action potential reaches the end of the axon it needs to be transferred to another neuron. It must cross the synaptic cleft. At the end of the neuron (in the axon terminal) are the synaptic vesicles, which contain chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters. When the electrical impulse (action potential) reaches these synaptic vesicles, they release their contents of neurotransmitters. These then carry the signal across the synaptic gap. They bind to receptor sites on the post-synaptic cell, thereby completing the process of synaptic transmission.

Question 5

what is an excitatory neurotransmitters

Answer 5

Binds with a postsynaptic receptor which causes an electrical change in the membrane of that cell, resulting in an excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP), meaning that the postsynaptic cell is more likely to fire.
-An example is glutamate

Question 6

what is an example of inhibitory neurotransmitters

Answer 6

Binds with a postsynaptic receptor which results in an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP), making it less likely that the cell will fire
-An example is GABA

Question 7

the likely hood of a cell firing is determined by

Answer 7

the summation of ESP’s and ISPS’s