Signalling Flashcards
what breaks down ACh?
AChE, acetylcholinesterase
What are the two types of cholinergic signalling?
Ionotropic/nicotinic (nAChR) and msucarinic (mAChR)
what is the enzyme that forms ACh?
ChAT, choline acetyltransferase
Antagonist of nAChRs?
curare (plant based toxin)
what are nAChRs permeable to?
Na+, K+ and highly variable to Ca2+
whats the role of ACh in somatic nervous system?
-voluntary control of body movements
-some reflexes
-NMJ
How is ACh involved at NMJ?
-ACh activates nAChRs on motor plate (only pass Na+ and Ca+
- eEPP (excitatory end plate potential)
- when eEPP reaches threshold voltage gated Na+ channles open and causes motor end plate AP
Name 2 toxins that are competitive antagonists for nAChR?
Tubocurarine
A-bungarotoxin
Name a AChE inhibitor and how does it work?
Physostigimine
- get depolarising block (desensitisation of receptors and deactivated voltage gated Na+ receptors
- used in operative care as a relaxant
Name two toxins that block ACh release?
Tetanus toxin
Botulinum toxin (both cause paralysis)
how is nAChRs involved in myasthenia gravis?
-autoimmune (antibodies against nAChRs)
- causes muscle weakness and paralysis
-causes membrane attack complex (MAC) which causes internalisation of nAChRs from membrane
Treatment for myasthenia gravis?
Neostigmine (AChE inhibitor) and immune system suppressants
what are the pathways of the trisynaptic circuit of the hippocampus?
Perforant pathway (Entorhinal cortex to dentate gyrus)
Mossy fibres (dentate gyrus to CA3)
Schaffer collaterals (CA3 to CA1)
What are the 4 basic properties of LTP?
- cooperative (number of fibres simultaneously activated
- input specific (synapse must be activated during induction)
- associative (induction at concurrently active synapses)
- Hebb’s law (spike-timing dependent plasticity)
What are the mechanisms underlying LTP?
- NMDA receptor dependent
- prolonged depolarisation and alleviation of Mg2+ block (can be associative)
- large fast increase in Ca2+
- Kinase activation (calcium calmodulin kinase)
- insertion of AMPAR
- retrograde signalling (presynaptic changes)
what can LTP induction be blocked by?
Ca2+ chelators
what are some of the mechanisms that contribute to increased AMPAR activity?
- changes in protein phosphorylation
- AMPAR properties and trafficking
- cytoskeleton reorganization (remodelling of dendritic spines)
- local protein synthesis (gene transcription via CREB)
what can LTD be induced by?
prolonged low frequency stimulation
what does LTD involved?
- internalization of AMPAR
how is AMPAR internalized in LTD?
- small and slow increases in Ca2+
- phosphatase activation
- dephosphorylation of stargazin and endocytosis of AMPAR
what is the induction of LTD (but not LTP) sensitive to?
phosphatase inhibitors
LTD in the cerebellum?
- paired stimulation of climbing fibres and parallel fibres causes LTD that decreases purkinje cell EPSP and acts as a corrective mechanism
- associative (both climbing fibres and parallel fibres must be activated at the same time
Mechanism of LTD in cerebellar?
- Glu release from parallel fibres activated mGluR
- climbing fibres activation depolarises purkinje cells and voltage gated calcium channels open (increase Ca2+)
- causes synergistic activation of PKC (and MAPK)
- internalisation of AMPAR
What is different about electrical synapses compared to chemical?
- electrical synapses can flow backwards
what are the myelinating cells of the CNS?
oligodendrocytes
what do oligodendrocytes do?
provide metabolic support for aoxns
differences between oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells?
- Schwann cells are PNS, oligos are CNS
- Schwann cells myelinate a single/single bundle of axons whereas oligos can myelinate multiple axons
components om myelin sheath?
70% lipid, 30% protein
what are microglia?
resident immune cells of CNS
different states of microglia?
‘resting’- highly ramified, motile processes to survey environment
‘activated’- retract processes, become amoeboid and motile
roles of microglia?
- immune surveillance
- phagocytosis
- synaptic pruning
which microglia are good and which are bad?
M2 and good
M1 are bad
functions of astorcytes?
- developmental (radial glia)
- structural (brain micro-architecture)
- envelope synapses (tripartite synapse, buffer K+ etc.)
- metabolic support (glutamate-glutamine shuffle)
- neurovascular coupling
what are MND symptoms due to?
- loss of microglia
- MND spinal cord shows decreases in motor neurons, and increases in microglia and astrocytes
definition of commissures?
tracts that cross midline
difference in PNS and CNS terminology for cell bodies?
- nuclei in CNS
- ganglia in PNS
what drives depolarization?
- influx of Na+
what drives repolarization?
- closure of Na+ and opening of K+
what drives hyperpolarization?
- voltage gates K+ channels remain open after the potential reaches resting level
what is the relative refractory period?
- possible to instigate AP but harder due to hyperpolarization so need even stronger stimulus
- VGSC need time to rest after conformational changes
- confers directionality
when does active conduction occur?
- when stimulus is above threshold
why is local passive flow important?
-during AP propagation
role of cholinergic signalling?
- septal and basal ganglia
- consolidation of memory (AD)
- neocortex (tonically active during ‘awake’ state on EEG
role of serotonin in signalling?
- raphe nuclei of midbrain, pons and medulla
- largest territorial distribution of any set of CNS neurons
- role in depression (SSRIs etc.)
role of dopaminergic signalling?
- midbrain DA neurons (substantia nigra (part of BG) and mesolimbic)
- limbic system
- role in SZ