PSY 324 Lecture Notes - Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential, Synaptic Vesicle, Axon Terminal

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 324
• Professor: Tara M Burke

Document Summary

Threshold of excitation reached ion channels open at axon hillock signal moves down axon (non-decrementing) signal reaches terminal buttons. Neurons communicate with one another via synaptic transmission of neurotransmitters (ligand will bind to a specific binding site which will produce postsynaptic potential) Presynaptic membrane: lies opposite to the postsynaptic membrane, where the neurotransmitters are released. Synaptic cleft, synaptic vesicle, release zone, post-synaptic density. Neurotransmitters are produced in the cell body and in the terminal buttons. Structure of the synapses: synapses occur in 3 places : on dendrites= axodendritic synapse, on the soma= axosomatic synapse, on other axons= axoaxonic synapse. Properties of a synapse: reflexes are slower than conductions along and axon (there must be a gap causing this time lapse) Spatial summation: if there are 3 points of stimulation it will also help the neuron to reach threshold (depolarization: law of reciprocal innervation: when one set of muscles becomes excited, a different set becomes relaxed.