Neurons and neurotransmitters Flashcards
What is a neuron?
Specialised nerve cell
What are the five main parts of a neuron?
Dendrites Cell body (soma) Axon nucleus Synapses (presynaptic and postsynaptic)
explain resting membrane potential (RMP) and what is the RMP?
RMP means there’s a difference in electrical potential between the inside and outside of the cell and the cell is at RMP when not transmitting information
-70MV
small input into the dendrites =
large input into the dendrites =
small change in membrane potential
Large change in membrane potential
Where does Graded potential occur and what is it?
the dendrites and it occurs when there is a change in electrical potential as a response to input. The strength of the change of comparative to the input into the cell
What is temporal summation and spatial summation?
Temporal summation is when there is two lots of inout, one after another. The first input creates a small graded potential and as the second input comes in it adds on creating summation of inputs. resulting in a larger graded potential
What is the threshold of ion channels?
the graded potential has to meet a certain level of depolarisation for the euro to fire an action potential
Difference between grade potential and action potential
The difference is that action potential is triggered by membrane depolarisation at the threshold and graded potential is responsible for the initial membrane depolarisation of the threshold.
What are synapses and where are they located?
connections between neurons where the axon terminal sends messaged to other neurons and they are located on the dendrite or on the cell body
What is a neurotransmitter?
Neurotransmitters is a chemical that transmits information across synapses
How do drugs change synthesis?
Drugs reduce the amount of neurotransmitters that synthesis, which decreases the amount of neurotransmitters available when they are released across the cleft
How do drugs change storage?
Drugs may cause vesicles to leak, decreasing the strength of the message as there will be less neurotransmitters in the vesicle
How do drugs change release?
They increase or decrease the amount of neurotransmitters being released over the threshold.
How do drugs effect binding?
They block receptors so when neurotransmitters are released across the cleft they won’t be able to bind with receptors due to blockage. Graded potential won’t occur as strongly
How do drugs change reuptake ?
Enhances messages across the synapses because neurotransmitters are going to sit round in the cleft for longer because the reuptake processes been slowed down
How to drugs effect a person?
change perception or behaviour and cognitions
what is pareidolia?
The tendency to perceive a specific image in a visual pattern
what’s the difference between the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system?
central nervous system - brain and spine
peripheral - everything else including nerves which send out information and receive it to send back to the nervous system
What are the four lobes of the brain ?
Frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe
Where on your head is the frontal lobe located?
front of head
what is an axon
is where electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be received by other neurons.
what is an axon hillock?
the region where the plasma membrane generates nerve impulses
where does action potential occur?
Axon terminal
What is dendrites
part of the nerve cell that receives input