Week 5: Neurotransmitter Synthesis and Pathways Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Classes of Neurotransmitter

A
  1. Acetylcholine (ACh)
  2. the Biogenic Amines
  3. the Amino Acids
  4. Neuroactive Peptides
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Biogenic Amines

A
  1. Dopamine (DA)
  2. Norepinephrine (NE)
  3. Sertonin (5HT)
  4. Histamine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Amino Acids

A
  1. GABA
  2. Glutamate
  3. Glycine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Neuroactive Peptide Families

A
  1. Pro-opio-melanocortin (POMC) - contains beta-endorphin
  2. pro-enkephalin - contains met- and leu-enkephalins
  3. pro-dynorphin - contains dynorphin
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

4 criteria for calling a substance a neurotransmitter

A
  1. It must be synthesized in the neuron
  2. It must be released in sufficient amounts upon an AP to yield PSPs
  3. exogenous applications will mimic normal activity
  4. there must be some deactivating mechanism(s)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Dale’s Law

A

a mature neuron makes use of the name neurotransmitter in all of its synapses (original)

NEW: A mature neuron makes sure of the same combination of neurotransmitter substances in all of its synapses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Coexistance

A

the use of more than one transmitter by a neuron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Where does neurotransmitters synthesis occur?

A

All NT except neuroactive peptides: at the pre-synaptic terminal

Neuroactive Peptides: The nucleus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Synthesis of ACh

A

Acetyl Co-enzyme A + Choline –> Choline Acetyal Transferase (CAT) –> Acetylcholine (ACh)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Deactivating mechanism for ACh

A

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)

Exists in the synapse next to the ACh receptor and exits in the terminal and on the presynaptic side of the synapse (which will break up any not-bound ACh)

The choline is recycled by a transporter on the external face of the synaptic cleft.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Critical Issues about vesicles

A
  1. they are essentially safety zones, they prevent NT from being broken down
  2. they are not saturated (not normally filled to capacity)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Vesicle Transporters: Proton Pumpers

A

Purpose: to keep the inside of the vesicle supplied with proteins

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Vesicle transporters

A

exchange 2 protons for every molecule of NT

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Types of Vesicle Transporters

A
  1. one for ACh
  2. One for biogenic amines (VMAT)
  3. One for glutamate
  4. One for GABA
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Monoamine Neurotransmitters

A
  1. Catecholamines
    - Dopamina (DA)
    - Norepinephrine (NE)
  2. Indoleamines
    - Serotonin (5HT)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Dopamine Synthesis Pathway

A

Tyrosine –> L-DOPA (via tyrosine hydoxylase) –> Dopamine (via dopa decarboxylase)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Rate Limiting Enzyme for Catecholamines

A

tyrosine hydroxylase exists in an inactive form and needs pteridine-H4 cofactor to become active

Pteridine-H4 then becomes pteridine-H2 and pteridine reductase will then add H back to pteridine to make it active and able to activate tyrosine hydroxylase again

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Synthesis pathway of Norepinephrine

A

tyrosine –> L-Dopa (via tyrosine hydroxylase) –> Dopamina (via dopa decarboxylase) –> Norepinephrine (via dopamine beta hydroxylase)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Deactivating Mechanism for Monoamines

A

Re-uptake - the drawing of NT molecules back into the pre-synaptic membrane via membrane transporters

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

General classes of membrane transporters

A
  1. Ones Glutamate

2. Ones for GABA, glycine, norepinephrine (NET), dopamine (DAT), serotonin (SERT), and choline

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Similarities of general classes of membrane transporters

A
  1. they are both driven by the Na+ concentration gradient

2. they both co-transport another ion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Dissimilarities of general classes of membrane transporters

A
  1. the glutamate transporter is made up of a protein that spans the membrane 6-8 times; the others span the membrane 12 times
  2. Glutamate transporter requires the co-transport of K+; the others require the co-transport of Cl-
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Enzymes that break down Catecholemines

A
  1. Monoamine oxidase (MAO)
  2. Catechol-o-methyl-transferase (COMT)

Both exist in the terminal and on the pre-synaptic side (where they break down free NT)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Short term feedback systems of catecholamines

A
  1. end product inhibition (inhibition)

2. Ca++ feedback (excitation)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

End Product Inhibition

A

accumulating amounts of DA in the presynaptic terminals will decrease the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase by converting pterdine-H4 to pterdine-H2

26
Q

Ca++ feedback

A

the accumulation of Ca++ will directly (bind and make more efficient) and indirectly (GProtein systems) accelerate the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase

27
Q

Induction

A

a long term feedback system for tyrosine hydroxylase

the continued firing of a neuron may cuase that neuron’s nucleus to produce more tyrosine hydroxlyase

Likely accomplished by autoreceptors

28
Q

Autoreceptor process for induction

A

prolonged release of NT results in prolonged stimulation of autoreceptors. the prolonged cAMP stimulation leads to the activation of CREB (a transcriptional activator protein) which when activated, it will cause the portion of genetic code produce more tyrosine hydroxylase

Slow process

29
Q

Synthesis of Serotonin

A

tryptophan –> 5HTP (via trytophan hydroxylase) –> 5HT (via 5HTP decarboxylase)

30
Q

rate limiter enzyme of 5HT

A

availability of tryptophan

trytophan hydroxylase

31
Q

Deactivating enzyme

A

MAO

32
Q

Histamine synthesis

A

histadine –> histamine (via aromatic amino acid decarboxylase)

33
Q

Histamine deactivation

A

reuptake by glial cells

no recycling

34
Q

Glutamate sources

A
  1. a product of the Krebs cycle in the neuron
  2. neighboring glial cells supply glutamate

neurons will convert glutamine into glutamate by glutaminase

35
Q

Gluetamate deactivating system

A

reuptake by neuron and glial cells

In glial cells, glutamate is converted to glutamine and then given back to the neurons

36
Q

GABA synthesis

A

glutamate –> GABA (via glutamate acid decarboxylase (GAD))

37
Q

How do Neuroactive Peptides differ from other NT

A
  1. synthesis occurs in the nucleus
  2. the type of vesicles that carry them
  3. their method of exocytosis
38
Q

Vesicles that hold Neuroactive peptide

A

Are “dense core” vesicles

They lack proteins for herding into the active zones (so they can release anywhere along the membrane in the axon terminal) and for recycling (so only used once)

39
Q

How do dense core vesicles release

A

they release anywhere on the axon terminal

they require high level of Ca++ – so long and intense stimulation of the neuron is required

40
Q

Unconvention NT

A

NO (nitric oxide)

CGMP

41
Q

NO Synthesis

A

L-arginine –> Nitric oxide and citulline (Via nitric oxide synthase)

Neural stimulation will elicit the phasic release of NO

42
Q

What does NO do?

A

NO stimulates guanylate cyclase to produce more cGMP

It modfies the metabolism and release of transmitter on the presynaptic side

43
Q

NO is tranfered

A

not by vesicles, and is not dependent on Ca++.

It freely diffuses across membranes

44
Q

Where is NO localized?

A

cortical interneurons, hippocampal cells, striatal interneurons, in cholinergic projection neurons in the pons

45
Q

Types of Endogenous Cannabinoids

A
  1. anadamide
  2. 2DG

Not stored, rapidly synthesized in response to depolarization and consequent to Ca++

46
Q

Locations of CB1 receptors

A

high levels in hippocampus, cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia

47
Q

Endocanabaniods regulate

A

GABA, they inhibit GABA

48
Q

Process for endocanabaniods

A

DSI is initiated by depolarization, opening the N-type Ca++ channels

Ca++ started the rapid production of endocanabiniods

which then diffuse and bind to CB1 receptors and inhibit GABA

49
Q

Monoamine Pathway

A

Catecholine Nuclei A1 - A13

50
Q

Norepinephrine Pathway

A

A1 - A4 in Myel-enchephalon
A5 - A7 in Met-enchaphalon

*A6 locus coeruleus (met-encephalon)

51
Q

Locus Coeruleus projects to

A
  1. “dorsal tegmental bundle”

2. central tegmental bundle

52
Q

Dorsal tegmental bundle projects to

A

hypothalamus, septum, amygdala, olfactory bulb, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, central gray, cerebellum, recticular formation
(Major limbic structures, major emotional processing centers)
*** System is UNCROSSED

53
Q

Dopamine Pathway

A

Projects to major limbic systems
A8-A10 in the mes-encephalon
A11-A13 in the di-encephalon

Nucleus Accumbens

54
Q

Serotonin Pathways

A

Raphe nuclei

55
Q

ACh Pathways

A
  1. stiatal interneurons
  2. septo-hippocampal pathway
  3. habelulo-interpendicular pathways
  4. nucleus basalis to the frontal cortex
56
Q

Glutamate pathways

A
  1. entorhinal cortex to hippocampus
    2, cerebral cortex to basal ganglia
  2. hippocampus to septal area
  3. granule cells in cerebellum
57
Q

GABA Pathways

A
  1. interneurons in CNS
  2. Purkinje cell in cerebellum
  3. basal ganglia to substantia nigra
  4. basal ganglia to habenula
58
Q

Endorphin pathways

A

hypothalamus

59
Q

Enkephalin pathways

A

almost everywhere in CNS, no projection neurons use enkephalins

60
Q

Histamine pathways

A

Not well defined,

61
Q

endocanabinoid pathways

A

no pathways, but distributions are important