Synaptic transmission Flashcards
what reaches the axon terminal in the pre-synaptic neuron
action potential
what does action potential cause
vesicles to release neurotransmitters from the pre-synaptic neuron
what does the neurotransmitter do after its been released from the pre-synaptic neuron
it diffuses across the synaptic gap from the pre-synaptic neuron to the post-synaptic neuron
what does the neurotransmitter bind to
specialised receptor sites
what do neurotransmitters produce once activated after binding to specialized receptor sites
it produces an excitatory or inhibitory effect
what do excitatory neurotransmitters bind with to cause
the post-synaptic receptor causes an electrical charge in the membrane (excitatory post-synaptic potential)
what does excitatory post-synaptic potential increase
increases the post-synaptic neurons chance of firing
what does inhibitory neurotransmitters bind with to cause
the post-synaptic receptor causes an electrical charge in the membrane (inhibitory post-synaptic potential)
what does inhibitory post-synaptic potential decrease
decreases the post-synaptic neurons chance of firing
what happens to the neurotransmitters after the effect has finished
neurotransmitters return to the pre-synaptic neuron via reuptake ready to then fire again
how is the post-synaptic neuron affected by many neurons
its chance of firing is the result of whether excitatory and inhibitory potentials
what does it mean if the excitatory potential outweighs the inhibitory potential
the neuron WILL fire
what does it mean if the inhibitory potential outweighs the excitatory potential
the neuron WILL NOT fire
