Nervous System - Week 16 PBL

Question 1

What is the somatic nervous system?

Answer 1

Voluntary control
Movement via acetylcholine transmission

Question 2

What is the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 2

Involuntary control:

Sympathetic (fight or flight)
Parasympathetic (rest and digest)

Question 3

What are the two types of synapses?

Answer 3

Chemical or electrical

Question 4

Features of electrical synapses?

Answer 4

Formed by gap junctions
Rapid and bi-directional flow of currents
Found in cardiac and smooth muscle

Question 5

Features of chemical synapses?

Answer 5

Unidirectional
Synaptic vesicles in pre synaptic membrane release chemical across synaptic cleft and binds to post synaptic cleft to continue transmission

Question 6

Describe neuromuscular junction transmission

Answer 6

1) AP arrives at presynaptic terminal
2) triggers VGZ CA channels
3) Ca release
4) triggers acetylcholine release across synaptic cleft
5) acetylcholine binds to post synaptic membrane (nicotinic acetylcholine receptor)
6) causes Na influx on post synaptic cell = post synaptic potential
7) muscle AP propagated via sarcolemma and t-tubules
8) acetylcholine recycled back to pre SM and loaded into vesicle