communication between neurones (3)

Question 1

what is a ligand

Answer 1

a chemical that interacts with a receptor

Question 1

what is the binding site

Answer 1

the place on the receptor where the ligand interacts with the receptor

Question 2

what is affinity

Answer 2

how well a ligand binds to a receptor

Question 3

what does it mean if a ligand has a high affinity

Answer 3

almost all ligands bind to receptors

Question 4

what are the types of receptor

Answer 4

ionotropic and metabotropic

Question 5

what is an ionotropic receptor

Answer 5

where the receptor is directly coupled to an ion channel

Question 6

what happens when a ligand binds to an ionotropic receptor

Answer 6

the ion channel opens

Question 7

what happens when a ligand binds to a metabotropic receptor

Answer 7

the ligand binds to the outside of the postsynaptic membrane, changing the 3D the shape of the receptor; this activates G proteins and initiates a complex cascade of intracellular signals

Question 8

what are the 2 types of NT

Answer 8

amino acid derivates and monoamines

Question 9

what type of NT is glutamate

Answer 9

amino acid derivate

Question 10

what amino acid does glutamate derive from

Answer 10

glutamic acid

Question 11

is glutamate excitatory or inhibitory

Answer 11

excitatory

Question 12

what type of NT is GABA

Answer 12

amino acid derivate

Question 13

is GABA excitatory or inhibitory

Answer 13

inhibitory

Question 14

what type of receptor do monoamines usually bind to

Answer 14

matabotropic

Question 15

what are 2 types of monoamine NT

Answer 15

dopamine and serotonin

Question 16

what are neuropeptides

Answer 16

proteins that act as NTs

Question 17

what are examples of neuropeptides

Answer 17

opioids

Question 18

what is fMRI most commonly used for

Answer 18

to see what parts of the brain we employ when carrying out a task

Question 19

how does fMRI work

Answer 19

When more blood flows to a part of the brain, the amount of oxygenated haemoglobin in the area changes, which has a magnetic signature we can pick up with fMRI

Question 20

how does EEG work

Answer 20

• Electroencephalography picks up electrical signals on the surface of the scalp
• Measures electrical activity within the brain via electrodes using a skull cap
• Scan recording represents brainwave patterns generated by activity of neurones

Question 21

what is better about EEG than fMRI

Answer 21

high temporal resolution (better than fMRI), so we can see activity in the brain as a direct response to the stimulus

Question 22

what is worse about EEG than fMRI

Answer 22

EEGs produce much more generalised information, so we cannot distinguish between activities originating in adjacent locations

Question 23

how does MEG work

Answer 23

• As we think, neurones fire action potentials and create pulses of electric currents, which in turn generate weak magnetic fields
• MEG has a helmet lined with sensitive sensors (squid devices) which record the location and intensity of the magnetic fields

Question 24

how does intra-cranial electrophysiology work

Answer 24

• recording electrodes are implanted into the brain
• These electrodes can record individual action potentials from single neurones

Question 25

what is the idea of synaptic plasticity

Answer 25

• The response changes; the argument is that the response changing is a fundamental property of how our brains learn

Question 26

what is long-term potentiation

Answer 26

we have a memory of the experience, and so the original input results in an enhanced output