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Neuroscience 101 > Synaptic transmission > Flashcards

Synaptic transmission Flashcards

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1
Q

Where do electrical synapses occur?

A

Gap junctions

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2
Q

How many connexins form a connexon?

A

6

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3
Q

How many connexons form a gap junction?

A

2

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4
Q

What does PSP stand for?

A

Post synaptic potential

A PSP is formed when current flows in through a gap junction.

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5
Q

Active zones

A

Pyramid like protein accumulations on the presynaptic side of the membrane.

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6
Q

Postsynaptic density

A

Proteins accumulated under the postsynaptic membrane

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7
Q

Axodendritic

A

A synapse that is attached to the dendrite of the postsynaptic cell

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8
Q

Axoaxonic

A

A synapse attached to the axon of the postsynaptic cell

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9
Q

Axosomatic

A

A synapse attached to the soma of a postsynaptic cell

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10
Q

Dendrodentric

A

A synapse formed between two dendrites

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11
Q

What are two types of synapses?

A

Gray’s type 1 and type 2. Type 1 are typically excitatory and 2 inhibitory.

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12
Q

synaptic vesicles

A

vesicles containing neurotransmitters in chemical synapses

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13
Q

What are the main types of neurotransmitters?

A

amino acids, peptides, amines

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14
Q

What are the amino acids used in fast synaptic transmission?

A

glutamate(GLU), gamma-aminobutyric (GABA), glycine (Gly). The amine acetylcholine (Ach) mediates fast synaptic transmission

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15
Q

Exocytosis

A

Is the process of releasing neurotransmitters from vesicles inside the cell to the synaptic cleft. Exocytosis is triggered by Ca2+ inflow into the cell through voltage gated calcium channels.

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16
Q

Excitatory post synaptic potential

A

A transient postsynaptic membrane depolarization caused by presynaptic release of neurotransmitter

17
Q

inhibitory postsynaptic potential

A

A transient hyperpolarization of the postsynaptic membrane potential caused by the presynaptic release of neurotransmitter

18
Q

Autoreceptors

A

Presynaptic receptors that are sensitive to the neurotransmitters released by the presynaptic terminal

19
Q

Neuropharmacology

A

the study of the effect of drugs on nervous system tissue

20
Q

What are the two types of EPSP summation?

A

Spatial and temporal

21
Q

voltage-gated calcium channel

A

a channel on the presynaptic membrane which opens as the result of a depolarization. It enables ca2+ ions to flow into the cell from the synaptic cleft.

22
Q

What are secretory granules?

A

Large synaptic vesicles about 100nm in diameter.

23
Q

How wide is the synaptic cleft?

A

20-50nm

24
Q

What are the different types of chemical synapses?

A

Axodendritic (postsynaptic membrane on the dendrite), axosomatic (on the soma), axoaxonic.

25
Q

What are the three categories of neurotransmitters?

A

Amino acids, amines, peptides

26
Q

How is the post synaptic potential formed?

A

Neurotransmitters bind to ion channels near the synaptic cleft which causes an ion influx.

27
Q

What modulation of EPSP’s?

A

The modification of the effectiveness of the EPSPs

28
Q

Describe the gap junction channel.

A

The gap junction channel allows ions to pass directly from the cytoplasm of one cell to the cytoplasm of the other. The pore of most gap junction channels is relatively large, about 1-2 nm in diameter, big enough for all the major cellular ions and many small organic molecules to pass through.

29
Q

What are asymmetrical (or Gray’s type I) synapses? What are symmetrical (or Gray’s type II) synapses?

A

Asymmetrical, Gray’s type 1 are synapses in which the membrane differentiation on the postsynaptic side is thicker than that on the presynaptic side. These are often excitatory synapses. Symmetrical Gray’s type 2 synapses are synapses in which the membrane differentatiation are of similar thickness on the post- and presynaptic sides. There are often inhibitory.

30
Q

What is a neuromuscular junction?

A

Chemical syanpses that occur between the axons of motor neurons of the spinal cord and skeletal muscle. It has many of the structural features of the chemical syanpses in the CNS.

31
Q

What is a motor endplate?

A

The postsynaptic membrane at a muscular junction.

32
Q

What are some of the properties of amino acid and amine neurotransmitters?

A

They are all small organic molecules containing at least one nitrogen atom, and they are stored in and released from synaptic vesicles.

33
Q

What happens after the amino acids and amine neurotransmitters are synthesized in the axon terminal?

A

They must be taken up by the synaptic vesicles. Concentrating the neurotransmitters inside the vesicle is the job of transportes, special proteins embeded in the vesicle membrane.

34
Q

What mechanisms are used to synthesize and store peptides in secretory granules?

A

Peptides are formed when amino acids are strung together by the ribosomes of the cell body. In the case of peptide neurotransmitters, it happens in the rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Generally, a long peptide synthesized in the rough ER is split in the Golgi apparatus, and one of the smaller peptide fragments is the active neurotransmitter.

Secretory granules containing the peptide neurotransmitter bud off from the Golgi apparatus and are carried to the axon terminal by axoplasmic transport.

35
Q

What is exocytosis? Describe the process of exocytosis.

A

Exocytosis is the release of neurotransmitters from the synaptic vesicles. The membrane of the synaptic vesicle fuses to the presynaptic membrane at the active zone, allowing the contents of the vesicle to spill out into the synaptic cleft.

Exocytosis can occur very rapidly, within 0.2 msec of the Ca2+ influx into the terminal in a squid. Synapses in mammals are even faster. Ca2+ enters the active zone precisely where synaptic vesicles are ready and waiting to release their contents.

36
Q

What two classes of receptors are neurotransmitter receptors classified into?

A

Transmitter-gated ion channels and G-protein-coupled receptors.

37
Q

When are transmitter-gated ion channels excitatory and when are they inhibitory?

A

They are excitatory when they are permeable to Na+ -> this depolarizes the postsynaptic cell, and brings it toward the threshold for generating action potentials.

They are inhibitory when they are permeable to Cl-, since they hyperpolarize the postsynaptic cell -> bring it away from the action potential threshold.

38
Q

What are second messengers and metabotropic receptors?

A

Second messengers = Molecules that diffuse away in the cytosol.

Metabotropic receptors = G-protein-coupled receptors, since they can trigger widespread metabolic effects.

39
Q

What are inhibitors and receptor agonists/antagonists in neuropharmacology?

A

Inhibitors = Drugs that inhibit the normal function of specific proteins in synaptic transmission.

Receptor antagonists = Inhibitors of neurotransmitter receptors: they block (antagonize) the normal action of the transmitter.

Receptor agonists = Drugs that mimic the actions of the naturally occurring neurotransmitter.

Neuroscience 101 (12 decks)

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