NEUROPHYSIOLOGY + NEUROSECRETION Flashcards

1
Q

define neurophysiology

A

Study of neuronal function

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2
Q

what does a neuron consist of?

A

a cell body, from which extends highly branched nerve processes (dendrites) and a single axon.

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3
Q

what are dendrites covered by?

A

dendritic spine that form connections or synapses with the dendritic spines of other neighbouring neurons.

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4
Q

where do axons arise from and branch into?

A

arise from axon hillock

and will branch forming telodendria

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5
Q

what are telodendria terminated by?

A

by small swellings called presynaptic terminals/boutons.

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6
Q

what do presynaptic terminals contain?

A

many small vesicles which contain chemicals messengers, or neurotransmitters.

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7
Q

where are vesicles synthesised from?

A

synthesised in the nerve cell body and transported down the axon by a process of axonal transport

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8
Q

what is resting membrane potential?

A

Inside of a nerve cell has a -ve potential in relation to the +ve electrical potential of the extracellular fluid

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9
Q

how is the electrical gradient established?

A

Cells pump Na from their interior, into the extracellular fluid, exchanging Na for K. Hence, high extracellular conc of Na and high intracellular conc of K.

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10
Q

why does K move out the cell?

A

Memb impermeable to Na, and permeable to K.
So K will enter the cell following the electrical gradient, but will also move out of the cell along its own conc gradient

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11
Q

how does the cell become polarised?

A

When these 2 forces are balanced (Na + K), the cell reaches the resting memb potential, and the cell is described as being polarised.

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12
Q

what value is resting membrane potential?

A

maintained at about -70 to -90mV

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13
Q

how do Na channels open?

A

Na channels are normally closed, but can be opened by localised changes in the resting membrane potential (voltage-gated), or by neurotransmitter activation (ligand-gated).

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14
Q

what happens during an action potential?

A

Na channels open, Na enters the cell, depolarising it.

This is opposed by the Na/K exchange pump, and by the opening of voltage-gated K channels.

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15
Q

how does the membrane return to its resting state?

A

Na channels are only open for a short time so the memb potential is soon returned to the resting state.

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16
Q

how is an action potential conducted?

A

Axon is a poor conductor. The AP sets up small internal electric currents called the intrinsic/local currents.

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17
Q

how do action potentials keep getting initiated along the membrane?

A

local currents are not conducted far along the axon but they can be large enough to open downstream voltage-gated Na channels so initiating another AP

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18
Q

what is the refractory period?

A

once a voltage-gated Na channel has opened and closed, it goes though a period of inactivation. This inactivation/refractory period prevents the back flow of excitation.

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19
Q

how is conduction enhanced?

A

Conduction velocity in mammals is enhanced by myelination of axons.

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20
Q

what is the myelin sheath formed by?

A

schwann cells

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21
Q

what do schwann cells do?

A

They wrap around the axons to form a sheath leaving a short stretch of unmyelinated axon (the node of Ranvier) before the next cell.

22
Q

how does the myelin sheath function?

A

by increasing the conductivity of the axon, increasing the conduction of the intrinsic currents

23
Q

how does the myelin sheath increase conduction velocity?

A

by allowing the activation of voltage-gated channels much further along the axon

24
Q

what do local anaesthetics target?

A

voltage-gated ion channels

25
Q

what do local anaesthetics have a high affinity for?

A

for Na ion channels in their open state

26
Q

what effect does opening more channels have?

A

local anaesthetic has a greater effect

27
Q

what does the local anaesthetic do?

A

Maintains ion channel in the inactivated state

this means the cell cannot be re-stimulated

28
Q

what is a synapse?

A

Junction between a neuron and a target cell

29
Q

what is an electrical synapse?

A

Transmission via pores – gap junctions.

Allows rapid communication between neurons

30
Q

where are electrical synapses found?

A

found between smooth muscle cells and in cardiac muscle

31
Q

what does a chemical synapse consist of?

A

a pre-synaptic memb at the presynaptic terminal of an axon, and a post-synaptic memb

32
Q

what is a synaptic cleft?

A

separates the pre- and post-synaptic memb

33
Q

what happens in the chemical synapse?

A

An AP in the presynaptic terminus activates the release of neurotransmitter molecules into the synaptic cleft that bind to receptors, opening ligand-gated Na channels, initiating a postsynaptic potential. If large enough, the postsynaptic potential will elicit an AP in the target neuron.

34
Q

give examples of amino acid neurotransmitters

A

glutamate, GABA, glycine

35
Q

give examples of monoamine neurotransmitters

A

acetylcholine, dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, serotonin, histamine

36
Q

give examples of purine neurotransmitters

A

adenosine, ATP

37
Q

give examples of peptide neurotransmitters

A

substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide, somatostatin, cholecystokinin, beta-endorphin, met-enkephalin

38
Q

give examples of gas neurotransmitters

A

nitric oxide, hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide

39
Q

what happens once an action potential reaches the synaptic bouton?

A

Ca channels open and ca enters the bouton

Ca detected by a ca-sensing protein, synaptotagmin.

40
Q

what does synaptotagmin do?

A

promotes the formation of a SNARE complex between the SNARE protein synaptobrevin (embedded in the vesicle memb) and the SNARE proteins syntaxin and SNAP-25 (associated with the presynaptic memb).

41
Q

how is the neurotransmitter release?

A

Vesicle memb and presynaptic memb fuse and neurotransmitter is released at active zone. Diffuses across synapse.

42
Q

what happens when the neurotransmitter is released?

A

binds to receptor (types 1 or 2) and is broken down and recycled back into the neuron.

43
Q

what is a neuropeptide?

A

n

44
Q

what is a vesicle?

A

has a dense core and can be released from any location of the terminal memb

45
Q

how is a neuropeptide released?

A

Requires higher conc of ca – cell firing rate is higher.

More than one neuropeptide can be released from a single synapse, co-transmission

46
Q

how is neurosecretion controlled?

A

Mediated by autoreceptors (monitors self secretion) and heteroreceptors (for transmission from other synapses).

47
Q

what are sub-threshold potentials?

A

Potentials induced by neurotransmitter release at a single synapse are often too small to trigger a full AP

48
Q

what are the 2 types of sub-threshold potentials?

A

inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs), or excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs)

49
Q

what are the 3 ways neurotransmitters can be inactivated?

A

reuptake, enzymes, diffusion

50
Q

how does reuptake cause neurotransmitters to become inactivated

A

by secondary active transport systems driven by ion gradient – these tend to have high affinities.

51
Q

how do enzymes cause neurotransmitters to become inactivated?

A

Act broken down by AChE into acetate and choline. Choline removed by transporter system and reused to synthesis more ACh. AChE can be blocked by organophosphates.

52
Q

how does diffusion cause neurotransmitters to become inactivated?

A

route for peptides, but peptides are large neurotransmitters and diffuse slowly, so they have prolonged effects.