Week 5: Neurotransmitters Flashcards

1
Q

receptors can be found on?

A

soma/cell body & dendrites

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2
Q

What is a neurotransmitter

A

chemical messenger molecules that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse

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3
Q

Why do we need neurotransmitters?

A

action potentials cannot jump from one cell to another

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4
Q

What is the qualities that make a neurotransmitter?

A

It has to be synthesized, stored and released by the neuron

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5
Q

What is the point of neurotransmitters?

A

they exert excitatory or inhibitory effects on the neuron depending on specific neurotransmitter eg. GABA inhibitory, glutamate excitatory

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6
Q

how does glutamate exert an excitatory effect

A

when glutamate binds to receptors, sodium channels open up, making the inside of the postsynaptic neuron less negative. there is an influx of positive ions into the cell. hence, the membrane potential becomes closer to the threshold (-55 mV) and increases the likelihood of an AP occuring.

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7
Q

How does GABA exert an inhibitory effect

A

the inhibitory neurotransmitter binds to the post-synaptic receptor, causing chloride channels to open, influx of negative ions into the cell, causing the membrane potential to be further away from threshold, and ceasing the message being passed by preventing initiation of AP occurring

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8
Q

What effect can acetylcholine have on AP?

A

Inhibitory and Excitatory

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9
Q

What happens to neurotransmitters once they have an effect on AP

A
  1. destroyed by specific enzymes
  2. reabsorbed by presynaptic terminal
  3. absorbed and recycled by glial cells
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10
Q

why must neurotransmitters be removed?

A

prevent overstimulation of post synaptic cells

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11
Q

What is one way in which neurotransmitters transit their signal in the post-synaptic neuron

A
  1. Ionotropic neurotransmission eg. glutamate receptors open and close in response to NT binding
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12
Q

What is another way in which neurotransmitters transit their signal in the post-synaptic neuron

A
  1. metabotropic neurotransmission eg. senses ligang binding and activates secondary messengers like other effector proteins, which causes signalling cascades within the cell
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13
Q

What are the major neurotransmitters

A
  1. amino acids (amino acidergic)
  2. classical amine neurotransmitters
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14
Q

What is a characteristic of amino acids

A

fast neurotransmission

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15
Q

What is a characteristic of classical amine neurotransmitters

A

slower neurotransmission

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16
Q

What neurotransmitters fall under amino acids?

A

glutamate and GABA

17
Q

What neurotransmitters fall under classical amine groups?

A

dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine (catecholaminergic), serotonin (serotonergic), acetylcholine (cholinergic)

18
Q

What is the main precursor for classical amine nt

A

Tyrosine
Tyrosine hydroxylase rate-limiting enzyme

19
Q

serotonin is synthesised from?

A

tryptophan

20
Q

Where is serotonin produced

A

in the intestine

21
Q

Serotonin effects?

A

appetite, mood, behavior, memory, learning

22
Q

what are the two main receptor families involved with acetycholine?

A

nicotinic and muscarinic

23
Q

Why care about neurotransmitters?

A

it can increase potential for many drug targets

24
Q

what is a graded potential?

A

a localised change in membrane potential that acts as the stimulus for the neuron, to either bring a neuron to threshold and initiate AP (EPSP) or the opposite effect to prevent an AP (IPSP)

25
Q

What is an EPSP

A

a local change in the membrane potential that makes a post synaptic neuron more likely to generate AP

26
Q

EPSPS can summate for a larger net effect to make the post-synaptic neuron __ likely to produce an AP

27
Q

what are the two types of summation?

A

spatial (enough synapses close together)
temporal (post-synaptic membrane is depolarised in rapid succession)

28
Q

What is IPSP

A

local changes in the membrane potential that makes post-synaptic neuron less likely to generate an ap.