PHGY 209 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, Chemical Synapse, Vesicle Fusion

• School: McGill University
• Department: Physiology
• Course: PHGY 209
• Professor: Ann Wechsler

Document Summary

Remember: info flows from dendrites -> soma -> axon -> synapses. Presynaptic axon connects to postsynaptic synapse (spine synapse) Shaft synapse: makes it less likely to fire action potentials. One output: action potential initiated at the initial segment. Once axon leaves cell body, it branches, branches, and branches. All these branches are copying the same message, relaying it to other neurons, so the message spreads across the nervous system. Synaptic cleft: the space b/w pre- and post- synapse. The space is very narrow, so diffusion is super fast. Presynaptic vesicles: contains the molecules that will be release at the synapse. Two kinds of vesicles: the ones flowing at the back are back-ups; called to action if needed. The ones lined-up right by the cleft are in the active zone; ready for action. Postsynaptic density: very very dense, shown as dark in electron micrographs. Packed with specialized proteins that are involved in synaptic communication.