Neurotransmitters Flashcards
Name 3 fast neurotransmitters
- Acetylcholine (ACh)
- Glutamate (GLU) main excitatory
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) main inhibitory
Name 3 neuromodulators
- Dopamine (DA)
- Noradrenaline (NA)
- Serotonin (5HT)
What are the 5 fundamental processes of synaptic transmission
- Manufacture
- Storage
- Release
- Neurotransmitter diffusion across synapse
- Inactivation
What is an Agonist drug?
Drugs that affect brain function by mimicking neurotransmitter to activate receptor sites
What is an Antagonist drug?
Drugs that affect brain function by blocking receptor sites
How do a limited number of neurotransmitters have such a wide variety of different effects on function and behaviour?
There are many receptor sub-types for each neurotransmitter, each with different functions
How do hallucinogenic drugs work?
They mimic serotonin and activate numerous different receptor sites
Hallucinogenic effect appears to specifically related to target the serotonin 2a receptor (5-HT2a)
What is Dales Principle?
‘Each neurone uses a single neurotransmitter’
Therefore brain can be subdivided into populations of neurones that use particular neurotransmitters
Why is Dale’s principle not strictly true?
Many neurones release either GLU or GABA…. but can also use several modulatory neurotransmitters
What causes Parkinson’s disease?
Lack of neurotransmitter dopamine in the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway within the basal ganglia
What is dopamine and where is it found?
Neuromodulatory transmitter
Important in the basal ganglia
What is noradrenaline and where is it found?
Neurotransmitter found in the peripheral (heart) and central nervous system
What is Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)?
The main inhibitory neurotransmitter
What is the thalamus?
A forebrain structure that relate information from the senses onto ‘higher processing’ areas of the cortex.
Has a balance of excitatory (GLU) And inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmission
Problems with drug design
A region of the brain engaged in a particular function uses several neurotransmission systems
Regions of the brain engaged in different functions use the same neurotransmission systems
This can lead to side effects
