GE CLST 73A Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Axon Terminal, Nitric Oxide, Neurotransmitter
29 Oct 2018
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Electrical signals are turned into chemical signals at synapses: action potentials arrive at the axon terminal, -> causes voltage-gated ca2+ channels to open. Ionotropic receptors: a receptor protein containing an ion channel that opens when the receptor is bound by an agonist. Receptors belonging to the other major category - the metabotropic receptors - don"t contain ion channels. Instead, they link across the cell membrane to complicated chemical machinery inside the post synaptic neuron. Metabrotropic receptors alter the inner workings of the postsynaptic cell, using chemicals called second messengers to cause changes in excitability or other, slower but larger-scale responses. The specific response of a postsynaptic neuron to molecules of transmitter is therefore determined by the particular types of receptors present on the postsynaptic membrane. Substance is a neurotransmitter if it meets the following qualifications: It can be synthesized by presynaptic neurons and stored in axon terminals. It is released when action potentials reach the terminals.
