The Cholinergic System Flashcards
Explain in your own words what the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is. What do you think would happen if a drug caused acetylcholine to stay in the neuromuscular junction?
its where the central nervous system meets a muscle, in the form of a nerve that connects the spinal cord the muscle
if acetylcholine stays in the NMJ, the muscle is going to keep contracting, and not be able to relax
Why is it important, from a medical or toxicology standpoint, that the somatic nervous system and both branches of the autonomic nervous system use acetylcholine?
because it means that drugs that act on acetylcholine could have big effects on organ function and muscle contraction, increasing their potential side effects which can help identify why someone may be exhibiting certain effects
Acetylcholine is significant to the contraction of muscles, if a drug blocks its presence, it will prevent movement from occurring in the muscles.
How are the 2 types of acetylcholine receptors similar to each other? How are they different from each other?
similar: they both bind acetylcholine, they are both located in the brain and body
different: they have different agonists and antagonists and they open different ion channels
What is the difference between choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AchE)?
ChAT synthesizes acetylcholine and (AchE) breaks it down
Curare is a deadly poison that blocks nAch receptors. Why would that be fatal?
because nAch receptors are at the neuromuscular junction. If they are blocked, then muscles can’t contract. If that includes breathing muscles, that is fatal.
