Neurotransmitters Flashcards
What are the 4 conditions to be a neurotransmitter?
- The substance must be synthesized in the presynaptic neuron.
- The substance must be present in presynaptic terminals and have an effect on its postsynaptic target.
- When experimentally applied, the substance must mimic the effects of the substance that is naturally released by the neuron.
- A mechanism must exist for the substance to be cleared from the synaptic cleft.
What are the 3 categories of neurotransmitters?
- Small-molecule
- Large molecule
- Lipid
What are the amines?
Sub-category of small-molecule neurotransmitters, contain
- Acetylcholine
- Biogenic amines
What are amino-acid neurotransmitters?
Sub-category of small-molecule neurotransmitters, contain
- Glutamate
- Glycine
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
What are large-molecule neurotransmitters?
Neuroactive peptides (opioid peptides)
What are the lipid neurotransmitters?
Endocannabinoids
What are the 2 types of endocannabinoids?
Anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol
What are the cannabinoids receptors?
CB1 and CB2
What are the 2 receptors of acetylcholine?
Nicotinic and Muscarinic
What are the 2 main pathways of dopamine?
Nigrostriatal pathway
Mesocorticolimbic pathway
What are the receptors of norepinephrine?
Adrenergic receptors:
Alpha 1
Alpha 2
Beta
What are the 3 receptors of glutamate?
AMPA receptor
NMDA receptor
Kainate receptor
Why is neocortex called like that?
Bc its the latest part of the cortex to develop
Which type of neurotransmitters are most abundant in the brain?
Amino-acid neurotransmitters
Which is the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS?
GABA
What is the antagonist of glycine? What does it do?
Strychnine
What are biogenic amines?
- Serotonin
2. Catecholamines
What are the catecholamines?
- Dopamine
- Norepinephrine (noreadrenaline)
- Epinephrine (adrenaline)
How is acetylcholine also called?
Cholinergic neurotransmitter
What are the 2 pathways of acetylcholine?
Medial-septal
Pontomesencephalo-tegmental
What are the 3 kinds of opioid peptides?
B-Endorphin
Enkephalin
Dynorphin
What are the 3 opiod receptors?
Mu
Delta
Kappa
Small molecule neurotransmitters are contained in what?
Synaptic vesicles
Large-molecule neurotransmitters are contained in what?
Secretory granules
What are the 2 main types of neurotransmitters, and what do they do?
Excitatory: triggers action potentials
Inhibitory: decreases the likelihood of action potentials