Receptor And Synaptic Potentials Flashcards
What does the Axon hillock do?
Can convert graded EPSPs to (all or none) action potential
What does the Axon terminals do?
Axon terminals converts electrical signals (e.g., action potentials ) to chemical signals
What do Axons do?
Axon conducts action potentials to axonal terminals. Propagation of action potentials hastened with myelination and increased axonal diameter
What do dendrites do?
Dendrites convert chemical signals into graded summating postsynaptic potentials (i.e., EPSPs, IPSPs)
What is a graded potential?
- Amplitude graded- dependent on stimulus intensity
- Decay over time and distance
- Ligand gated ion channels
- Example ligsnds - neurotransmitters (e.g., acetylcholine )
What dies graded potential vary in amplitude?
- stimulus due to Ligand binding to receptor at synapse (e.g. acetylcholine)
- Occur at dendrites, soma, terminal, neuromuscular junction
- Amplitude relates to stimulus intensity
- Signal amplitude decays with from point of initiation
What is excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs)?
Input is excitatory —> depolarization of membrane potential (Vm)
What is inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs)?
- Input is inhibitory —> no depolarization as membrane potential (Vm) pushed further from threshold
- Hyperpolarization: inhibitory neurotransmitters (e.g., GABA) can cause influx of negative ions (e.g., Cl-)
How are inputs integrated on the some/cell body?
- Summation
- EPSP/IPSP
What is summation?
When multiple signals arriving at the trigger zone are superimposed (summed)
- temporal
- spatial
What is temporal summation?
Change in frequency of stimulation (time)
Explain a temporal summation
- Single presynaptic neuron fires many times in quick succession
- Increased frequency- graded potentials sum together
- If summed graded potentials reach threshold —> generates action potential.
- Depends on passive properties (time constant) of cell membrane
What is spatial summation?
Multiple inputs at different locations on neuron (space)
- PSPs arriving at the trigger zone (axon hillock) at the same time can summate.
- Sufficient spatial summation of EPSPs can trigger action potentials
What are the series of events caused by an EPSPs and spatial summation ?
- Three excitatory neurons fire. Their graded potentials separately are all below threshold.
- Graded potentials arrive at trigger zone together and sum to create a suprathreshold signal.
- An action potential is generated
What is an action potential?
- All-or-none (I.e., present-or-absent), amplitude often less subject to modulation (I.e., largely independent of stimulus size)
- Voltage gated ion channels
List sequentially major synaptic events that move an action potential from the pre- to post-synaptic potentials
Graded potentials > threshold > action potentials
What are the Action potential (AP) features?
- All-or-none: action potentials ONLY occurs if stimulus > threshold, if not then no AP
- Stimulus magnitude: has greater impact on frequency of firing of action potentials
- Amplitude: generally no loss in action potential (AP) amplitude during conduction over the length 9f the axon (but, amplitude can be modulated at the terminal)