Unit 2 Notes Flashcards
movement at synapse
- ) voltage gated calcium channels open at synapse in response to depolarization caused by action potential
- ) calcium enters enters presynaptic neuron and binds to motor proteins which are on synaptic vesicles
- ) vesicles merge with presynaptic membrane
- ) insides released in synaptic cleft
- ) neurotransmitters bind to receptors on postsynaptic membrane
what makes AP start
- ) begin with receptor potential- graded (have to have high enough to open enough Na+ channels)
- ) greater graded potential, open more Na+ channels, depolarizes cell
- ) depolarize enough to hit threshold -> increase in Na+ conductance -> inward current of Na+
- ) conductance K+ also increases -> K+ outward to repolarize cell
voltage clamp experiments
-permits us to set membrane potential of cell almost instantaneously to any level and hold it there while recording current flow across membrane
capacitive current
- initial brief surge of current
- occurs b/c step from one potential to another alters charge in membrane capacitance
- due to membrane properties
early inward current
- due to Na+ inward current
- depolarize cell
leak current
-small K+ and Cl- outward current
why does current flip direction at +65 mV
- beyond 62 (Na+ equilibrium)
- with greater depolarization, Na+ inward current becomes smaller and then reverses to outward current
Na+ channels
- open quickly, so have inward current
- rises rapidly, but decreases to zero
K+ channels
- open slowly relative to Na+ channels
- outward current
- once developed, remains high
absolute refractory period
- no action potential is possible even with applied extracellular depolarization
- due to Na+ channels having an inactivation gate on them
relative refractory period
- can still get another AP, but would require a stronger stimulus
- due to K+ channels still open (slow to close)
- K+ conductance high (too high for Na+ to override)
- threshold returns to normal, K+ channels close, Na+ inactivation removed
Hodgkin and Hukley findings
Depolariztion of membrane leads to…
- ) activation of sodium conductance mechanism
- ) subsequent inactivation of that mechanism
- ) delayed activation of K+ conductance mechanism
inactivation
- decline to zero of Na+ current after it rises quickly
- occurs b/c the potential is greater than the equilibrium potential of Na+ (65 mV)
- occurs even if the cell is still depolarizing
potassium leaves cell
- ) depolarization decreased
- ) Na+ conductance decreases
- ) Na+ current decreases
- ) excess outward current causes repolarization
2 reasons nerve fiber can’t produce second AP immediately
- ) absolute refractory period- Na+ channel inactivation
2. ) relative refractory period- K+ channels slowly closing
CNS neuron
- brief spikes w/ high frequency
- activate and deactivate rapidly
- rapid repolarization
- rapid removal Na+ channel inactivation
- more AP/given time
gating currents
- generated by movement of charges in transmembrane helicies of ion channel
- helicies move in response to change in membrane voltage, opening or closing gate
ball-and-chain model
- responsible for inactivation of voltage activated Na+ channel
- ball = clump of AA on cytoplasmic side (Mg2+)
- chain = AA residues
- depolarize -> ball binds to site inside channel and blocks pore b/c positive charge of pall pushed out of inside and up channel when repelled by positive charge accumulated from depolarization
channelopathies
- channel being formed badly
- startle disease
- epilepsy, seizures- damage to K+ channels
- cell fires when not supposed to
gate closed
positive charge in pore is attracted to cytosol
depolarize cell and gate
more positive inside results in the positive charges of pore moving up and gate opening
importance of calcium
- keeps cell from being too excitable
- acts like a charge buffer on outside of membrane between + and - charges
- low Ca2+ environment- no charge buffer and membrane is more excitable (cells fire more readily)
lack of Ca2+
no buffer -> increase excitability of membrane (not good)
afterhyperpolarizaing potentials
- right after AP
- occurs b/c delayed rectifier channels continue to open for period that outlasts AP
- results in increasing K+ conductance, which drives membrane toward K+ equilibrium potential
Calcium-activated potassium channels
- Ca enters with Na
- leads to K channels opening
- brings the excitability of the cell down- diminishes response
- habituation
- cell essentially calms down
why doesn’t AP degrade
- signal refreshed along conduction
- axon is excitable along length
myelinated cell
- facilitate current flow
- Nodes of Ranvier in between myelin
- lots of Na+ channels accumulated at nodes
spike initiation zone
- sensory nerve endings
- axon hillock
- spike initiation more likely at sites where there is a high density of voltage-gated sodium channels
distribution of sodium channels
-piled up densely at nodes of Ranvier and sensory nerve endings
orthodromic
- AP travels in one direction
- typically from soma to terminal
antidromic
- backward propagation
- usually experimentally driven
typical conduction velocity
10 m/s
length of AP
2 milliseconds
what determines spread of AP along membrane
axon structure
axon excitability
- depends on diameter (bigger -> faster)
- depends on # voltage-gated channels
habituation
adaptation so don’t respond vigorously every time
electrotonic potentials
as you increase distance from current passing electrode in nerve fiber, the potential become smaller and slower
*decay of response with distance is exponential
membrane resistance low relative to cytoplasm
current leaks outward through membrane before it can spread far
high resistance membrane
- allow significant portion of current to spread laterally before escaping to the external solution
- depends on surface area of fiber
length constant properties
- increases with membrane resistance
- decreases with internal longitudinal resistance
length constant
distance that a electric potential will travel along neuron via passive conduction
fiber diameter increase
- internal resistance decreases more rapidly than membrane resistance
- results in more membrane resistance than internal
- further conduction
why is potential rise slower at points more distant to electrode
internal longitudinal resistance reduces current flowing
what influences rate of AP propagation
- ) space constant- want large
2. ) time constant- want small
small time constant
membrane will depolarize to threshold quickly and conduction velocity will be high
saltatory conduction
- ions cannot flow easily in or out of high-resistance myelin, so AP “jumps” from one node of Ranvier to the next
- increases conduction velocity
electrically coupled
-special intercellular structures allow processes of one neuron to be in electrical continuity with the next (allow current flow between them)
cardiac, smooth muscle, epithelial, gland cells, and neurons
gap junction
- electrical synapse
- low resistance connection that allows transfer of electrical signals from one cell to the next
- collection of connexons
- fast link between pre and post synaptic cell
connexon
proteins that form aqueous channels between cytoplasms of adjacent cells
oligodendroglia
-myelinate in CNS
extrastriate area
- region of occipital cortex that is sensitive to motion and perception
- integration
- more complex receptive fields
- neural connections diverge
- motion, color, and form
myelogenesis
glial cell development
when are axons fully myelinated
- about age 25
- athletes peak in mid 20s
plasticity
-neural connections and networks change
higher peak
- action potential big
- fiber myelinated
synaptic transmission
- how cells communicate with one another
1. ) direct
2. ) indirect
direct communication
- ) chemical synapse (ionotropic)
2. ) electrical synapse
indirect communication
- via chemical receptor changes cell behavior, but not in regards to resting membrane potential
- g-protein coupled receptor (metabotropic)
electrical synapse (gap junction)
- incredibly fast transmission
- no lag
- presynaptic has full AP
- post synaptic has a much smaller AP- indicates that not a ton of ions actually go thru
chemical synaptic transmission
-secretion of specific chemical by a nerve terminal and its interaction with specific postsynaptic receptors
bouton
- nerve terminal swelling
- pre-synaptic membrane has electron dense regions with clusters of synaptic vesicles
- lots of mitochondria for ATP
excitatory post synaptic potential (EPSP)
synaptic potential that excites a post synaptic cell
inhibitory post synaptic potential (IPSP)
synaptic potential that inhibits a post synaptic cell
curare
block postsynaptic receptors, reducing end plate potential amplitude below threshold
ionophoresis
method of ejecting charged molecules, such as ACh, from pipettes
ACh and permeability
- ACh produces a nonspecific increase in permeability of the postsynaptic membrane to small ions (Na+, Ca2+, and K+)
- does not increase Cl- permeability
- general increase in cation permeability
reversal potential
- membrane potential at which a neurotransmitter causes no net current flow of ions through that neurotransmitters receptor channel
- aka- equilibrium potential