Physiology of Skeletal Neuromuscular Junctions 03/10/18 Flashcards
What is the only voluntary muscle?
Skeletal
What innervates the skeletal muscle?
Motor neurones with myelinated axons and cell bodies in the spinal cord
What does the motor neurone axon branch into near the muscle?
Unmyelinated branches
What does each unmyelinated branch innervate?
A single skeletal muscle fibre
What does each motor neurone branch end in?
Terminal bouton that forms a chemical synapse with the NMJ
What is the path of an action potential in a skeletal muscle fibre?
Arise in the cell body
Conducted via the axon
Causes release of ACh
What is the neurotranmitter for all skeletal muscle fibres and what receptor does it act of?
Acetylcholine
On Nicotinic receptors
What are the key features of a NMJ?
Terminal bouton (and surrounding schwann cell)
Synaptic vesicles
Synaptic cleft
End plate region of the muscle cell membrane
Where are synaptic vesicles and what do they contain?
Active ones
ACh
Where are nicotinic receptors present?
End plate region
Give and overview of synaptic transmission at the NMJ
Ach is stored in active vesicles, these build up
calcium causes this to be released
Activating the nicotinic receptor
The transmitter in inactivated
How is choline transported into the terminal?
Choline transport symport with Na+
What synthesises ACh and where does it occur?
Choline and acetyl coenzyme A
In the cytosol
By choline acetyltransferase
How is ACh concentrated into vesicles?
Vesicular ACh transporter
What does arrival of the action potiential at the terminal cause?
Depolariation and opening of voltage-activated Ca2+ channel allowing Ca entry to the terminal