Chapter 5 - Neurotransmitters & Drugs Flashcards
Who was Otto Loewi (1921)?
What is acetylcholines role?
First isolation of a CHEMICAL MESSENGER
Frog heart experiment
Acetylcholine: works in peripheral and central nervous systems (activates skeletal muscles in SNS, excite or inhibit internal organs in ANS)
Continuing research…
Epinephrine (adrenaline) fight or flight
- hormone to mobilize body as neurotransmitter in CNS
Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
- brain and parasympathetic in ANS
- accelerates heart rate
What are neurotransmitters?
Give definition W/IN CNS and OUTSIDE CNS
Within CNS…
- chemical released by a NEURON onto a target w/ a excitatory or inhibitory effect
- distinctive shape that’s allow them to interact w/ distinctive receptors
Outside CNS…
- chemicals circulate in bloodstream as HORMONES
- action slower than neurotransmitters
- distant/widespread targets
What is the chemical synapse?
Junction where neurotransmitter are RELEASED from one neuron to EXCITE or INHIBIT the next
Most synapses in mammalian nervous system are CHEMICAL
What is the presynaptic membrane?
Where the action potential TERMINATES to RELEASE the chemical message
What is the postsynaptic membrane?
RECEIVING side of the SYNAPSE, where EXCITATORY/INHIBITORY postsynaptic potentials are GENERATED
What is the synaptic cleft?
GAP where neurotransmitters travel from presynaptic to postsynaptic membrane
What is the tripartite synapse?
FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION and physical proximity of the presynaptic membrane, postsynaptic membrane and their association w/ astrocytes
What is the anterograde synaptic transmission?
PROCESS that occurs when a neurotransmitter is RELEASED from a presynaptic neuron and BINDS to a receptor on a postsynaptic neuron
What are the 5 steps in neurotransmission?
- Neurotransmitter synthesized inside the neuron
- Packaged/stored w/in vesicles at the axon terminal
- Transported to presynaptic membrane and released into cleft due to an action potential
- Binds to & activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
- Degraded/removed to deactivate it
What is step 1 (neurotransmitter synthesis)?
In axon terminal & cells body
Origins of neurotransmitters:
Peptide
Lipid
Gaseous
Ion
What is step 2 (neurotransmitter storage)?
Synaptic vesicle: small MEMBRANE-BOUND spheres that contain one or more neurotransmitter
Storage granule: membranous compartment that holds SEVERAL vesicles containing neurotransmitters
What is step 3 (neurotransmitter release)?
At terminal, action potential OPENS voltage-sensitive Ca channels
Ca enters terminal and BINDS to protein calmoduin = form COMPLEX
Complex causes some vesicles to EMPTY their contents into SYNAPSE & others to empty their contents
^^^EXOCYTOSIS
What is step 4 (neurotransmitter binding)?
4 TYPES OF RECEPTORS INVOLVED
Transmitter-activated receptors:
- protein embedded in membrane of a cell that has a BINDING SITE for a spec neurotransmitter
Iontropic receptor:
- associated w/ pores open to allow IONS into membrane
*excititory: Na in
*inhibitory: K out or Cl in
Metabotropic receptor:
- embedded membrane protein w/ a BINDING SITE for a neurotransmitter linked to a G protein
Autoreceptor:
- self-receptor in a neuronal membrane, responds to same transmitter released by neuron
- part of a (-) feedback loop allowing neuron to adjust its own input
- can be iontropic or metabotropic (rare)
What is step 5 (neurotransmitter deactivation)?
4 DIFFERENT WAYS
Diffusion: spreads out into extra cellular enviro AWAY from synaptic cleft
Degradation: ENZYMES in synaptic cleft BREAK down the neurotransmitter
Reuptake: brought BACK into presynaptic axon terminal (by-products of degradation)
Astrocyte uptake: nearby astrocytes TAKE UP neurotransmitter, can also store them
What are second messengers?
Bind to a membrane-bound channel
Alters ion flow
Initiate a rxn incorporating intracellular protein molecules into the cell membrane
Bind to sites on cells DNA to INITIATE/CEASE produc of spec proteins
What are synapse variations?
Synapse VARY in location, structure, fxn, and target
CONNECTIONS to the dendrites, cell body, axon of a neuron - transmitters can CONTROL the actions of the neuron in varies ways
What is a gap junction?
Electrical synapse where 2 neurons intracelluar fluids come into DIRECT CONTACT
Eliminates the DELAY in information flow in chemical synapse (~5ms saved)
Forms when CONNEXIN proteins in one cell membrane connect to a HEMICHANNEL in an adjacent cell membrane
Allows ions to flow b/w the two membranes
GATED CHANNELS
Can vary in pore size (allows for selectivity)
Can be part of “mixed synapses” allows for chemical and electrical synaptic transmission in combo
What is an excitatory synapse?
Typically located on DENDRITES
ROUND vesicles
DENSE material on membranes
WIDE cleft
LARGE active zone
What is an inhibitory synapse?
Typically located on CELL BODY
FLAT vesicles
SPARSE material on membranes
NARROW cleft
SMALL active zone
What counts as a neurotransmitter?
CARRIES an message from one neuron to another by influencing the VOLTAGE on the postsynaptic membrane
Changes the STRUCTURE of a synapse
Communicates by sending MESSAGES in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION
***(retrograde) influence the release/reuptake of transmitters of the PRESYNAPTIC SIDE
What are 5 different classes of neurotransmitters?
- Small-molecule
- Peptide
- Lipid
- Gaseous
- Ion
What are small-molecule transmitters?
Class of QUICK-ACTING neurotransmitter
Synthesized in AXON TERMINAL from DIETARY nutrients and packaged ready for use in axon terminals
What are peptide transmitters?
SHORT AMINO ACID CHAIN (fewer than 100 aa/s)
Can act as neurotransmitters OR hormones
Usually assembled on neurons RIBOSOMES, packaged by Golgi bodies and transported by micro tubes to axon terminals
Act SLOWLY and are NOT replaced quickly
What are lipid transmitters?
Lipids (fatty molecules) ACT as MESSENGERS
Lipids are special in that they can FREELY DIFFUSE through membranes
Makes traditional storage difficult
Ex) endocannabinoids
- act on recoveries at presynaptic membrane (appetite, pain, sleep, ,old, memory, anxiety etc…)
Ex) phytocannabinoids
- obtained from hemp plants
What are gaseous transmitters?
NOT stored in or released from synaptic vesicles
SYNTHESIZED in cell as needed
Another one that can EASILY CROSS CELL MEMBRANE
Ex) nitric oxide (NO)
Ex) carbon monoxide (CO)
Ex) hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
What are ion transmitters?
Recent evidence has led researchers to CLASSIFY zinc as a transmitter
ACTIVELY TRANSPORTED, packaged into vesicles (usually w/ glutamate) and released into synaptic cleft
***STILL BEING RESEARCHED
What are the cholinergic (motor) neurons in the somatic nervous system?
What is the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor?
MOTOR neurons
Main neurotransmitter is ACETYLCHOLINE
EXCITATORY at skeletal muscles
—————————————————————————
Transmitter-activated ionotropic channel
When ACETYLCHOLINE/NICOTINE binds = large pore opens
K flows OUT and Na flows in simultaneously
Muscle fibre depolarizers
In the autonomic nervous system (parasympathetic/sympathetic) both are controlled by “________ ________” that leave the CNS at “_____” levels of the spinal cord
Cholinergic neurons; 2
***Can be excitatory or inhibitory depending on what it’s targeting
Ex) gut inhibitory, heart excitatory
What happens to neurotransmitters in the enteric nervous system?
Detect mechanical/chemical cond in gastrointestinal system
Can ACT w/out CNS input
Makes use of 30+ transmitters in total, many used also in the CNS
Serotonin and dopamine are important
What happens to neurotransmitters union the CNS?
What are the 4 activating systems?
Activating system - neural pathway COORDINATES brain activity through a SINGLE neurotransmitter
- Cholinergic
- Dopaminergic
- Noradrenergic
- Serotonergic
What is the cholinergic system?
Acetylcholine
Active in MAINTAINING ATTENTION & WAKING EEG PATTERN
Thought to play a ROLE IN MEMORY (neuron excitatory)
Death of these types of neurons and decrease of ACh in neocortex is thought to be related to = Alzheimer’s disease
What is the dopaminergic system?
Dopamine
Active in MAINTAINING NORMAL MOTOR BEHAVIOUR
Loss of DA is related to muscle rigidity and dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease
Mesolithic pathways
- release causes repetition of behaviours
- most affected by addictive drugs/behav addictions
- increase may be related to schizophrenia
- decreases may be related to deficits of attention