Thursday 4 - Neurotransmitter metabolism

Question 1

Active ingredient in absinthe, what does it do?

Answer 1

Thujone.

Blocks GABA receptor

Question 2

4 properties of a chemical in the brain in order for it to be classified as a neurotransmitter

Answer 2

present in the presynaptic terminal

released from terminal

acts on receptors

can be agonized or antagonized

Question 3

Difference between small molecule neurotransmitters and peptide neurotransmitters

Answer 3

Small-molecule neurotransmitters are synthesized in the presynaptic zone. enzymes that make these are created in the nucleus of the cell.

Peptides are made into the nucleus and transported down via dynein.

Question 4

How long does it take to:

exocytose neurotransmitter

endocytose neurotransmitter

Answer 4

1millisec

10-20 sec

Question 5

V-ATPase

VGLUT

Answer 5

take neurotransmitter and pump it againt its concentration

Question 6

Snap25
Syntaxin
Synaptobrevin

also known as what type of protein

Answer 6

Involved in docking and attaching and releasing the contents of a vesicle full of neurotransmitter

SNARE proteins

Question 7

Clostridium bacteria have what type of poison that effects what type of system in the nervous system

what happens when it gets in brain? spinal cord?

Answer 7

Zinc proteases (BOTOX)

Cleave SNARE proteins, prevents docking of vesicles full of neurotransmitter

brain = seizures
cord = paralysis

Question 8

Poison from black widow spiders

what does it do

Answer 8

alpha-latrotoxin

causes fusion and emptying of vesicles to occur in the absence of calcium (without any action potenital)

Question 9

How do you make acetylcholine?

How do you break it down?

Answer 9

acetyl-CoA + Choline —–choline acyltransferase—–> acetylcholine

generally irreversible

Reverse reaction with the enzyme acetylcholine esterase

Question 10

What happens in a cell if you add an ACh receptor blocker?

Answer 10

No message gets through

Question 11

What happens in a cell if an auto-antibody acts on nAChR? (nicotinic acetylcholine receptor)

Answer 11

A disease called myasthinia gravis - droopy eyes, can’t keep arms up.

Question 12

What happens (molecularly) in a cell if you introduce an AChE (acetylcholinesterae) inhibitor?

Answer 12

organophosphate compounds (commonly known as nerve gasses) cause permanent binding of ACh to the post-synaptic cell.

Question 13

What is used as an ACh antagonist as an antidote for nerve gas?

Answer 13

Atropene

Question 14

What happens in excitotoxicity?

Answer 14

Too much release of glutamate in the brain, causes sodium and too much calcium to enter the call, causes mitochondrial damage, nuclear damage, and swelling, causing apoptosis

Question 15

Which general type of neurotransmitter is often involved in psychiatric disorders

Answer 15

Biogenic amines (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin)

Question 16

Chemical produced in the brain that acts on the same receptors that delta-9-THC does?

made by which cells in the brain, and where does it go?

Answer 16

Anandamide.

made by postsynaptic cell, gets transported back to the presynaptic cell and modifies the release of what ever was in that cell (retrograde action)