PSYCH261 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Axon Terminal, Ligand-Gated Ion Channel

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH261
• Professor: Daniel Smilek

Document Summary

Nerves send messages by releasing chemicals loewi. Whe(cid:374) loe(cid:449)i sti(cid:373)ulated a (cid:374)er(cid:448)e that i(cid:374)(cid:272)reased or de(cid:272)reased a frog"s heart rate, he (cid:272)ould withdraw fluid from the area around the heart, transfer it to another frog"s heart, a(cid:374)d there(cid:271)y increase or decrease its rate also. At a synapse, a neuron releases chemicals that affect another neuron that are known as neurotransmitters. At the end of an axon, an action potential itself does not release the neurotransmitters; rather, depolarization opens voltage-dependent calcium gates in the presynaptic terminal. Neurons release a combination of two or more transmitters and also some do that even at the same time. The effect of a neurotransmitter depends on its receptor on the postsynaptic cell. When the neurotransmitter attaches to its receptor, the receptor may open a channel exerting an ionotropic effect or it may produce a slower but longer effect a metabotropic effect.