Neuronal signalling 7 (3rd lecture)

Question 1

Which brain area is associated with spatial memory?

Answer 1

Hippocampus

Question 2

Which brain area is involved with fear memory?

Answer 2

Amygdala

Question 3

Granul cell layer components?

Answer 3

Mossy fibre axon,

Question 4

Where does the mossy fibre axon project from and to?

Answer 4

Granual cell layer of the hippocampus to the pyrimidal cell of the CA3 region

Question 5

Name of axons leaving CA3 region?

Answer 5

Schafer collaterals

Question 6

Where do Schafer Collaterals innervate?

Answer 6

Pyramidal cells in the CA1 region

Question 7

What is the mossy fibre axon and CA3 regions of the hippocampus used to study?

Answer 7

Memory/LTP

Question 8

What are the three principal hippocampal pathways?

Answer 8

perforant, mossy fibre and schaffer collateral

Question 9

Perforant pathway?

Answer 9

entorhinal cortex to dentate gyrus
Granule cells

Question 10

Mossy fibre pathway?

Answer 10

dentate gyrus to the CA3
Pyramidal cells

Question 11

Schaffer collateral pathway?

Answer 11

CA3 to CA1
Pyramidal cells

Question 12

Which pathways use pyramidal cells?

Answer 12

Mossy fibre and schaffer collateral

Question 13

Difference in EPSP following potentiation?

Answer 13

Larger EPSP following potentiation in response to the same level of stimulus

Question 14

What happens to the amplitude of the potentiated synapse?

Answer 14

Higher probability of a larger amplitude, a larger current

Question 15

Two groups of LTP mechanism?

Answer 15

Pre and postsynaptic

Question 16

Presynaptic LTP mechanism?

Answer 16

Increase in probability of NT release

Question 17

Postsynaptic mechanism of LTP?

Answer 17

More AMPA receptors w/ a diff function

Question 18

Change in CaMKII for LTP?

Answer 18

More active CaMKII = more NT release
Change in expression of other kinases

Question 19

Effect of phosphorylation on AMPA receptors?

Answer 19

Increased conductance, and increased activity

Question 20

Largest receptor effect on LTP?

Answer 20

NMDA receptors are now included

Question 21

What is a silent synapse?

Answer 21

A non-potentiated synapse that thus doesn’t have active NMDA receptors

Question 22

How do NMDA receptors facilitate LTP?

Answer 22

More of them, allows Ca in which can add more AMPA receptors via altered protein synthesis

Question 23

What is inside the NMDA receptor at rest?

Answer 23

Mg2+ ion

Question 24

What is NMDA overactivity associated with?

Answer 24

Cell death mechanisms

Question 25

Why is NMDA overactivity associated with cell death mechanisms?

Answer 25

It allows Ca2+ entry into cells which can trigger cell death, and destabilisation of mitochondria

Question 26

What needs to bind alongside glutamate to activate an NMDA receptor?

Answer 26

Glycine

Question 27

Where does glycine bind?

Answer 27

Allosteric site

Question 28

Why is "gate opening" not sufficient for ions to pass through an NMDA receptor?

Answer 28

Mg2+ block

Question 29

What is Mg2+ NMDA block removal dependent on?

Answer 29

Membrane depolarisation

Question 30

How can NMDA receptors be regulated?

Answer 30

Polyamines, phosphorylation, activation of protein kinase C, redox

Question 31

Why are there so many ways to regulate NMDA pathways?

Answer 31

Memory is complex and v different so lots of variability is needed

Question 32

How many subunits does an NMDA receptor have?

Answer 32

4

Question 33

2 primary NMDA subunits?

Answer 33

NR1 and NR2

Question 34

Which NMDA subunit does glutamate bind to?

Answer 34

NR2

Question 35

Which NMDA subunit does glycine bind to?

Answer 35

NR1

Question 36

How many splice variants does NR1 have?

Answer 36

8

Question 37

How many splice variants does NR2 have?

Answer 37

4

Question 38

When are the diff NR1 and 2 splice variants used?

Answer 38

Diff brain areas, diff times in development

Question 39

Where does the Mg2+ bind to on an NMDA receptor?

Answer 39

NR2

Question 40

What are retrograde messengers?

Answer 40

Messengers sent byt he postsynaptic cell to modulate the NT release from the pre n

Question 41

Retrograde messenger examples?

Answer 41

Nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, arachidonic acid

Question 42

How is arachidonic acid obtained?

Answer 42

Product of lipid metabolism

Question 43

What can NT vesicles contain?

Answer 43

NT and neuropeptide