Physiological Psych 3 - 1

Front 1

Neurotransmitters

Back 1

Communication between neurons is through chemical messengers referred to as _______.

Front 2

Binding sites

Back 2

_____, which are receptor proteins to which neurotransmitters fit like a lock into a key.

Front 3

Receptor proteins

Back 3

_____ _______ only accept molecules of particular geometric shapes and electrical charges

Front 4

synthesized

Back 4

The specificity of receptor proteins allows for specific molecules to be _______ for medical intervention.

Front 5

Axodendritic

Back 5

Axon terminates proximal to a dendrite or dendritic spine, which is a small bud in the surface of a dendrite, forming a synapse

Front 6

Axosomatic

Back 6

axon terminates proximal to the soma of a neuron

Front 7

Axoextracellular

Back 7

axon releases neurotransmitter into extracellular fluid

Front 8

Dendrocentric

Back 8

occur in small neurons that lack axons; may serve to coordinate the activity of several neurons, much like an executive neuron

Front 9

Axoaxonic

Back 9

connections that do not contribute to neural integration, but rather modulate the amount of transmitter released from the terminal button

Front 10

Presynaptic inhibition

Back 10

the action of a presynaptic terminal button in a axoaxonic synapse that reduces the amount of neurotransmitter released by the postsynaptic terminal button

Front 11

presynaptic facilitation

Back 11

action of a presynaptic terminal button in an axoaxonic synapse that increases the amount of neurotransmitter released by the postsynaptic terminal button

Front 12

Synaptic cleft

Back 12

the space between the presynaptic membrane and the postsynaptic membrane

Front 13

Synaptic vesicle

Back 13

a small, hollow beadlike structure found in the terminal buttons that contains molecules of a neurotransmitter; also has proteins embedded in membrane helping vesicles to dock with membrane

Front 14

Release zone

Back 14

area at the end of the terminal button in which synaptic vesicles dock, fuse with the membrane, and release the neurotransmitter

Front 15

Cisternae

Back 15

process similar to the Golgi Apparatus which receives bits of the presynaptic membrane and recycles it into synaptic vesicles

Front 16

soma, axon

Back 16

Neurotransmitters may be manufactured in the _____ or _____.

Front 17

mRNA, Golgi body

Back 17

In the soma, neurotransmitters are most likely synthesized from ______ and packaged by the _________.

Front 18

axon terminal

Back 18

In the _____ _________, protein pumps, referred to as transporters, may pump molecules used to synthesize neurotransmitter from the extracellular fluid.

Front 19

single vesicles, granules

Back 19

Neurotransmitter may be stored in ______ ______ or in ________, which house several vesicles until released.

Front 20

microfilaments

Back 20

Single vesicles may be attached to _________.

Front 21

action potential; Ca2+

Back 21

When the ____ _______ reaches the terminal button, ___ voltage dependent ion channels open.

Front 22

calmodulin

Back 22

In an action potential Calcium ions bind to ________.

Front 23

neurotransmitters, synapse, postsynaptic

Back 23

______ are released from the terminal buttons, diffuse across the _______, and interact with protein molecules embedded in the _______ cell membrane

Front 24

Postsynaptic potential

Back 24

The neurotransmitter results in a _____ _______, which is an alteration in the membrane potential of a postsynaptic neuron, produced by the liberation of a neurotransmitter at the synapse.

Front 25

Calcium

Back 25

when an action potential reaches the terminal, it opens _____ channels.

Front 26

neurotransmitter; postsynaptic membane

Back 26

After being released the _______ diffuses across the synapse and activates receptors on the _______ _________.

Front 27

Transmitter-Activated Receptors

Back 27

Protein embedded in the membrane of a cell that has a binding site for a specific neurotransmitter

Front 28

Autoreceptors

Back 28

receptors on neurons that respond to release of their own transmitter:
may increase/decrease release of transmitter
serves as a feedback system

Front 29

Deactivation of neurotransmitter

Back 29

diffusion away from synaptic cleft;
degradation by enzymes in the synaptic cleft;
Reuptake into the presynaptic neuron for subsequent re-use;
Taken up by glial cells

Front 30

Type I Synapse

Back 30

excitatory; located on dendrites;
Large active zones (areas near the release of transmitter)
Wide cleft
round vesicles

Front 31

Type II Synapse

Back 31

Inhibitory, located on cell body (soma),
small active zone (areas near the release of transmitter)
Narrow cleft
Flat vesicles

Front 32

Type I

Back 32

Excitatory synapse located on dendrites

Front 33

Type II

Back 33

Inhibitory synapse located on cell body (soma)

Front 34

Type II

Back 34

Synapse with a small active zone

Front 35

Type I synapse

Back 35

synapse with a large active zone

Front 36

Type II, axon potential

Back 36

Location of ____ synapses allows for inhibition of depolarizations from reaching the axon hillock, preventing an ________ which cannot be stopped once initiated.

Front 37

neurotransmitters

Back 37

Some ________ are inhibitory at one location and excitatory at another.

Front 38

Four criteria for identifying a neurotransmitter

Back 38

1) chemical must be synthesized or present in neuron
2) when released chemical must produce response in target cell
3) same response must be obtained when chemical is experimentally placed on target
4) there must be a mechanism for removal after chemical's work is done

Front 39

Small- Molecule Transmitters

Back 39

class of quick-acting transmitters; synthesized in the axon terminal from products derived in the diet
ex. Acetylcholine (ACh), Dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE)

Front 40

Rate-limiting factor

Back 40

any enzyme that is in limited supply restricts the pace at which a chemical can be synthesized

Front 41

Neuropeptide

Back 41

a multifunctional chain of amino acids that acts as a neurotransmitter;

synthesized from mRNA on instructions from cell's DnA;
therefore replenishment tends to be slow

Front 42

Transmitter Gases

Back 42

synthesized in cell, as needed;
easily crosses cell membrane

ex. Nitric oxide (NO) plays role in dilation of blood vessels in the brain and sexual organs

Front 43

Receptors

Back 43

a large protein molecule that is in and on the surface of the neuron furnishing sites where neurotransmitters induce biological changes

Front 44

receptor; neurotransmitter

Back 44

Each _____ accepts a specific _______.

Front 45

receptor; neurotransmitters

Back 45

Therer are hundreds of _____ types but a much smaller number of ________.

Front 46

Carrier proteins

Back 46

transport small neurotransmitters across cell membranes against the concentration gradient

Front 47

G protein coupled receptors
(metabotropic)

Back 47

a family of postsynaptic receptors, usually not connected with a specific ion channel

Front 48

change, alter

Back 48

G protein coupled receptors willc ause nearby ion channels to ____ or _____ chemical processes within the cell

Front 49

alpha, beta, gamma

Back 49

G protein has three subunits; ____, _____, _______

Front 50

alpha,facilitating, inhibiting

Back 50

when a neurotransmitter binds to the receptor , the _____ subunit of the G protein may be released and cause a change in the shape of nearby ion channels ______ or _____ the flow of ions into the neuron.

Front 51

effector; molecular structure

Back 51

The alpha unit may also activate ______ enzymes whcih activate protein kinases which change the ______ ________ of other proteins inside the cell.

Front 52

common effector enzymes

Back 52

Cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, Ca+

Front 53

Enzymes

Back 53

_______ are proteins that catalyze or cause some metabolic action to occur when interacting with other proteins

Front 54

Reuptake

Back 54

The reentry of a neurotransmitter just liberated by a terminal button back through its membrane, thus terminating the postsynaptic potential

Front 55

Autoreceptors

Back 55

a receptor molecule located on teh presynaptic neuron responds to the neurotransmitter released by the presynaptic neuron

Front 56

Activating system

Back 56

Neural pathways that coordinate brain activity through a single neurotransmitter

Front 57

four systems of neurotransmitters

Back 57

Cholinergic, dopaminergic, Noradrenergic, and Serotonergic

Front 58

Cholinergic system

Back 58

neurotransmitter system thought to play a role in memory; death of these neurons thought to be related to Alzheimer's disease;

Acetylcholine

Front 59

Dopaminergic System

(Dopamine)

Back 59

neurotransmitter system;
Nigrostriatial pathways active in maintaining normal motor behavior; loss of DA (dopamine) related to muscle rigidity and dyskinesia in Parkinsonl's disease;

Mesolimbic pathways
neurotransmitter system most affected by drugs; Increases in DA may be related to schizophrenia

Front 60

Noradrenergic system

(norepinephrine)

Back 60

neurotransmitter system;
active in maintaing emotional tone
decreases in NE activity thought to be related to depression;
increases in NE activity thought to be related to Mania (overexcited)

Front 61

Serotonergic system

(serotonin)

Back 61

neurotransmitter system;

changes in serotonin activity related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, and schizophrenia

decreases in serotonin activity related to depression