Week 2 Flashcards
Types of postsynaptic receptors
Ionotropic and Metabotropic
What determines the effect?
Receptor, not the transmitter
Postsynaptic potential (PSP)
The binding of the transmitter to the post-synaptic membrane results in a change of the post-synaptic membrane potential called PSP
Duration of the PSP
20-40 ms
Ligands for ionotropic/metabotropic receptors
ionotropic and metabotropic: Acetylcholine (Ach), Glutamate, GABA, Glycine
metabotropic: Ach (muscarinic receptor), peptides (substance P, beta endorphin, ADH)
catecholamines (noradrenaline, dopamine)
serotonin
purines (adenosine, ATP)
Gases (NO, CO)
EPSP
Depolarizing (ion channel is specific for cations Na+ K+ etc)
IPSP
Hyperpolarizing (Ion channel may be specific for Cl- or K- ions)
Metabotropic effects
- Binding of a ligand to a postsynaptic receptor will activate an enzyme that is usually G protein-coupled
- the enzyme facilitation will result in increased production or destruction of 2nd messengers
- 2nd messenger will activate other enzymes
2nd messengers
cAMP, cGMP, or InP3
What effect is more immediate?
Ionotropic; metabotropic activation takes time
How must PSS spread to get to the initial segment of an axon?
Passive conduction
beta-adrenoreceptor
- beta-receptor is a metabolic receptor for noradrenalin.
- Binding of NA to beta receptor activates adenylyl cyclase via a G protein alteration
- adenylyl cylclase increases production of cAMP
- cAMP will then activate kinases which phophorylate Ca2+ channel
- the phosphorylation of the Ca2+ channel will increase the Ca2+ influx
Where are PSPs generated?
They are generated in inexcitable membrane; neuronal dendrites and cell bodies
Can PSPs generate an AP?
No they cannot as the areas they are generated do not have a high density of voltage-gated Na+
2 types of PSP summations
spatial and temporal
Spatial summation
Minimum of 10-30 synchronous EPSPs in dendritic tree, generated at a different synapse
Temporal summation
Only a few active synapses, but each generating EPSPs at high frequency; summated potentials reach threshold over a period of time.
they last about 30-40 ms before dying out
IPSP (Cl- channel)
- they involve the opening of the Cl- channel
- the equilibrium potential for Cl- is very close to resting MP
- at result opening of Cl- causes little change
- when the membrane is depolarized, opening of the Cl- channel will
bring the MP back down to -70 mv - The net affect of Cl- is basically to ‘clamp’ the MP, which is preventing excitation,
thus preventing depolarization > inhibitory effect - These IPSPs are very strategically located and they completely block any signal
coming from EPSPs simply by positioning right on the soma
Where are IPSPs located?
Cell soma, they are half way between the site where EPSP is generated and the trigger zone. they can shunt depolarizing EPSPs out of the cell
Whats more imp IPSPs or EPSPs ?
IPSPs are generally more important than EPSPs
Spike train
Depolarizing the trigger zone to threshold and sustaining that depolarization for 500 ms, turns powerful input to be translated into continuous stream of APs
Generating a Spike train
- If we depolarize the membrane above threshold and keep it there, you’ll get one
AP and the voltage-gated Na+ channels will inactivate (refractory period) and you
can not get another AP until the membrane repolarizes - Therefore, after each ‘spike’ we need to get the membrane ‘hyperpolarized’ to
restore the Na+ channels to re-open them for the next one - We must have Hyperpolarization to generate another AP, otherwise we’ll never
generate a ‘Spike Train’
After hyperpolarization
- Voltage-gated K+ channels at trigger zone.
- Hyperpolarization after each spike ensures that Na+ channels reconfigure, and membrane excitability is restored.
What happens after after-hyperpolarization fades away?
The Membrane potential will shoot right back up where EPSP is taking and crossing the threshold again and a whole new spike gets generated
What can we generate due afterhyperpolarization
spike train
Receptor potential
Change in the membrane potential due to receipt of signal from exterior sensory cue
What happens when receptor proteins change shape?
- Directly open ion channels
- enzyme is activated via G protein coupling > leading to production of 2nd messenger (cAMP, cGMP, INP3) > lots of 2 nd messenger proteins > leads to signal amplification
What will happen when energy from the environment reacts with membrane proteins
Depolarization of sensory receptors
EXCEPTION: photoreceptors hyperpolarize