CSB332H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Pk Machine Gun, Calcium Channel Blocker

• School: UTSG
• Department: Cell and Systems Biology
• Course: CSB332H1
• Professor: Francis Bambico

Document Summary

There are basic, fundamental forms of learning that is different in terms of mechanism with higher forms of learning. The mechanisms of habituation have been demonstrated in a vertebrate model. Habituation results in an increase in the frequent of the stimulation of the presynaptic axon. This means that the organism is repeatedly exposed to a stimulus, which results in a decrease of the specific response. The response can be studied in the aplysia californica as the gill withdrawal reflex or the siphon withdrawal reflex. The mechanism of habituation has to do with the fact that if you apply high frequency stimulation in the presynaptic axon, then it will eventually result in the inactivation of all voltage-gated calcium channels. If you expose an organism to a specific stimulus several times, then it will result in high frequency stimulation of a presynaptic axon, and repeated stimulation of the presynaptic axon results in the inactivation of voltage-gated calcium channels.