STUDY GUIDE: Lecture 18: Electrical communication - the nerve
impulse
revised
05/05/2004 09:53 AM |
General Readings:
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Purves 6th edition (5th ed.)
[7th ed.]
- Ch. 44 esp 785-792 (Ch. 41 esp 916-922) [Ch 44
esp 855-863] Synapses
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Lecture:
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Major Topics
Action Potential, cont. -- Propagation
- Generating an action potential -- ion
currents/channels
- Moving the message quickly down the neuron
- increase diameter -- decrease axial
resistance
- myelination --
increase membrane
resistance (decrease ion flow out)
Synaptic Transmission -- Moving the message on to
the next cell
- Presynaptic
- neurotransmitters
- release of neurotransmitters
- Post-Synaptic
- Next Time -- wrap up of receptors, summation,
organization of neurons into circuits & overall nervous system
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More Detailed Readings in Texts
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Both these texts give similar and detailed
explanations, so it's a good idea to read one of them, but don't
bother reading both:
- Sherwood 5th edition [4th edition]
- Ch 4 -- 113-128 [103-119]
myelination & synapses
- Becker 5th edition (4th ed)
- 241-243 (248-251) myelination
- 243-250 ( 251-259) synapses
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Animations: |
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Additional
Outside reading:
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- From
Clear-Cut Endings to Complex Beginnings: Researchers Probe the Origins
of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. A disease of myelin.
- Brain Briefings Short readings on major
research findings from the past 4 years. Compiled for the general public by the
Society for Neurosciences.
- Related Nobel prize research
- Methods in neuroscience
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Medical reference:
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Test yourself - The nuts and bolts
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- What are the advantages of having myelinated
neurons? If there are these advantages, why aren't all neurons
myelinated?
- What happens when the action potential reaches
the pre-synaptic side of the axon terminal?
- What happens on the post-synaptic side?
- Synapses are classified as inhibitory vs
excitatory and direct vs. indirect. What are the features of each kind? Why
are direct/indirect sometimes called fast/slow instead?
- What are the common neurotransmitters?
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Test yourself - Problem solving
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Problem Set #8: Questions 8-2 part D,
8-9 (except C), 8-10, 8-11, & 8-17. |