BIOL1040 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential, Postsynaptic Potential, Depolarization

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11 Sep 2018
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There are two types of synapses: electrical synapses. These are gap junctions which are small connections into neighbouring cells. The space is small enough for electrical current to flow through. The junction between cells is so small that there is no fluid between them. Only few synapses like this: chemical synapses. Involve the release of chemical messages; neurotransmitters. Vesicles travel from inside the cell to fuse with the plasma membrane. This fusing releases the vesicle contents into the synaptic cleft (space between presynaptic and postsynaptic neuron: neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the post synaptic neuron and causing a specific response in the postsynaptic neuron. The binding of neurotransmitters to the receptors can cause two types of responses: Excitatory postsynaptic potential (epsp: a depolarisation event is caused at the postsynaptic membrane, this is an excitatory response, depolarisation is caused by the neurotransmitter triggering opening of sodium channels on the postsynaptic membrane. The influx of na+ will trigger another action potential.

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