PSYC 355 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Otto Loewi, Excitatory Synapse, Gap Junction

• School: Concordia University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 355
• Professor: Stephane Gaskin

Document Summary

It plays a big role in all the operations of the nervous system. 1897: charles sherrington gave synapse their name: synapse is a clasp, junction, because of the known speed of action potentials, (approx. 100m/s) sherrington realized that there must be something in between the action potentials that slows down a reflex. In the reflex arc, it took longer than the estimated speed of the nerve impulse. The sensory neuron under the skin, is connecting with another neuron, the interneuron and then motor neuron slows it down: chemical and electrical synapses. 2 views on how information is transferred at the synapse. Chemical synapses (neurotransmitters that activate receptors in postsynaptic membrane). Trying to find out if the connection was chemical: legend does that otto lewis has a dream that he was conducting an experiment to figure out wether. Loewi"s experiment that proved chemical synapses exist synapses were electrical or chemical.