01:119:116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Mechanoreceptor, Reverberation, Hair Cell

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Biological Science
• Course: 01:119:116
• Professor: Professor Beal

Document Summary

Synapses and sensory receptors (sections 48. 4, 49. 4, 49. 5, 50. 1, and 50. 2) A. junction between a synapse term and another neuron or effector. B. some are electrical: electrical-current flows directly from neuron to neuron (like plasmodesmata in plants), an action potential can flow from one cell to another, no neurotransmitters. Release neurotransmitters by exocytosis -> neurotransmitters diffuse across synaptic cleft (short distance) -> bind and activate specific postsynaptic receptors. Net change dictates what happens -> interactions: 2. ) As a graded potential, a postsynaptic potential becomes smaller with distance from the synapse. Therefore, by the time a single epsp reaches the axon hillock, it is usually too small to trigger an action potential: determines which signal is used, 1. ) Acetylcholine- muscle stimulation, memory, and learning: 2. ) Glutamate- major excitatory neurotransmitter in brain (amino acids): 3. ) Dopamine- level in brain affects mood: 4. ) Endorphins- pain regulation (short ppc that is cut from long ppc). Iii. changes in synaptic connections underlie memory and learning.