Physiology 3120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Long-Term Potentiation, Nmda Receptor, Synaptic Plasticity

• School: Western University
• Department: Physiology
• Course: Physiology 3120
• Professor: Tom Stavraky

Document Summary

So say ap has travelled down axon to area with positive charges in picture. But when it came down, it also brought its positive charge with it making the area more positive ie: depolarization. The depolarization in the vg na channel-dense area of the node of ranvier causes those channels to open and let na rush in. So now that area is all +++ thus the ap that was at the top of the loop is now at the bottom of the loop. It goes on so on and so forth until get to axon terminal. Depolarization at axon terminal opens up vg ca channels and ca rushes into cell and triggers vesicle release. Transmitter (let"s say is glutamate) diffuses through the synaptic cleft and binds to ampa receptor on glutamate-gated channel on post-synaptic membrane. Glutamate can also bind to receptor called nmda receptor on another glutamate-gated channel. Glutamate binds with nmda receptor and ca++ rushes into postsynaptic neuron.