NROB60H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Enzyme, Potassium Channel, Neurotransmitter
10 Dec 2014
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Most pores are relatively large, big enough for all major cellular ions, and many small organic molecules, to pass through: most gap junctions allow ionic current to pass equally well in both directions, electrical synapses are bidirectional (not chemical synapses, electrical current (in the form of ions) can pass through gap junctions, therefore cells connected by these channels are electrically coupled, transmission at electrical synapses is very fast and, if the synapse is large, fail safe. Mutually excitatory chemical synapses would not be adequate to synchronize their firing because of their characteristic delay: using em dendrodritic gap junctions were discovered, electrical synapses exist where they are useful, although electrical synapses are fewer than chemical synapses, chemical synapses require electrical synapses to function, exist in a location due to both their speed and their ability to synchronize neural activity by reciprocal action and transmission of sub threshold voltages.
