Exam 2 Flashcards
Ace the second exam (21 cards)
What are the components of a synapse?
Pre-synaptic terminal, synaptic cleft, post-synaptic membrane, and glia
What are the names for the 2 types of acetylcholine receptors, and what are the agonists and antagonists of each type of receptor?
Nicotinic receptors - Agonist, nicotine. Antagonist, curare
Muscarinic receptors – Agonist, muscarine. Antagonist, atropine
What are the three types of exocytosis that can occur?
Ultrafast endocytosis, kiss and run, or clatherin mediated endocytosis
What does “Dale’s Law” express?
Dale’s law expresses that each pre-synaptic terminal deals with one kind of neurotransmitter
What kind of glia is most helpful with synaptic homeostasis?
Astrocytes
Describe the process of a neuron releasing neurotransmitters.
When an action potential reaches the end of the axon, calcium gated ion channels open and calcium rushes into the cell. This calcium convinces vesicles filled with neurotransmitters inside the pre-synaptic cell to migrate towards the pre-synaptic terminal. An anchoring complex called a SNARE anchors these vesicles to the membrane and a pore is created so the neurotransmitter can seep out into the synaptic cleft.
What are two toxins that involve issues with neurotransmitter release functions?
Botulinum toxin prevents exocytosis. Black widow spider venom causes a release of too many neurotransmitters all at once in neuromuscular junction.
How do neurotransmitters travel through the cleft and how long does it take?
Neurotransmitters travel through diffusion. Not an active mechanism. It takes around 1-2 miliseconds.
What are the two major receptor mechanisms, and what are their respective strengths?
Ionotropic mechanism – binding site is transmembrane channel. When bound, ions can flow through. This is fast, direct, and simple.
Metabotropic mechanism – this is ore complicated and slow. It is a secondary messenger system that involves a g-protein linked-receptor. This is slow and more regulated, and can have a large cascade effect.
Give some example of monoamine neurotransmitters, and describe their general function.
Monoamine neurotransmitters are generally neuromodulators. Some examples are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
What are the two major amino acid neurotransmitters, and how do they function and how are they related?
Glutamate and GABA. Glutamate is the dominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the entire nervous system. GABA is the dominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the entire nervous system.
What are two examples of neuropeptide neurotransmitters?
Endorphins and oxytocin are neuropeptides. They play roles in very complex behavior.
What are the three types of receptors that glutamate can trigger?
Glutamate can trigger AMOA, NMDA, and Kainate receptors
What are some general brain deficits in people with schizophrenia?
Enlarged ventricles, deflated gyri and sulci, grey matter deficits, shrunken hippocampus. Hypofrontality – reduced activity in frontal lobe
What are specific issues in the hippocampus in individuals with schizophrenia?
Hippocampal neurons are disorganized. Usually these neurons are organized in a specific way. This disorganization happens in development.
What are the two drugs that have been discovered that help with schizophrenia, and what are the other functions of those drugs?
Resperine – helps with high blood pressure and also is a monoamine antagonist
Chlorpromazine – was used as an anti-allergy drug and is a dopamine antagonist
What two major areas of the brain are associated with schizophrenia, and what is each part responsible for?
Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal-Cortex – if bad connection with hippocampus, responsible for negative symptoms
Caudate nucleus – if bad connection with hippocampus, responsible for positive symptoms
What are some positive and negative symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease?
Positive symptoms - rolling tremor in hands and feet at rest (not when you are moving), rigidity of muscles (too much contraction) depression
Negative symptoms – difficulty initiating movement, cognitive deficits, balance issues
What is the cause of Parkinson’s Disease in the brain?
Loss of substantia nigra in brain which is in the tegmentum in the mid-brain
What is the connection between redundancy and Parkinson’s?
There is more dopamine than we need, it is redundant
What part of the brain is the substantia niagra closely related too, and how does one effect the other?
The basal ganglia is also involved in control of movement and the substantia niagra sends axons to the basal ganglia. If the substantia niagra is not sending signals, the basal ganglia cannot work. Dopamine is used in the basal ganglia.
