Final Neuro Study Guide 2

Drug action

Specific molecular changes produced by a drug when it binds to a target site or receptor.

Drug effects

Molecular changes that lead to widespread alterations in physiological or psychological function.

Intravenous

A mode of drug administration where the drug is injected directly into the bloodstream.

Inhalation

A method of drug delivery that involves breathing in gases or vapors.

Subcutaneous

A mode of drug administration that involves injecting a drug under the skin.

Intramuscular

A method of administering a drug by injecting it into a muscle.

Pharmacokinetics

What the body does to a drug.

Pharmacodynamics

What a drug does to the body.

Efficacy

The maximum effect which can be expected from a drug.

Potency

The concentration or dose of a drug necessary to produce a given effect.

Neurons

Cells that transmit and process information in the nervous system.

GABA

An inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in reducing neuronal excitability.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter that promotes the firing of neurons.

Lipid bilayer

The oily barrier of biological membranes that cannot solvate ions.

Sodium/potassium ATPase

An enzyme that uses ATP to actively exchange sodium and potassium ions across the membrane.

Action Potential (AP)

A rapid rise and fall in membrane potential due to ionic movements.

Voltage-gated ion channels

Proteins that open and close in response to changes in membrane potential, allowing ions to flow.

Presynaptic action potential

The electrical signal that leads to the release of neurotransmitters from a neuron.

Postsynaptic response

The change in membrane potential in the postsynaptic cell following neurotransmitter binding.

Calcium ions (Ca2+)

Ions that enter the presynaptic terminal and trigger neurotransmitter release.

Neurotransmitter release

The process of releasing neurotransmitters from vesicles into the synaptic cleft.

Exocytosis

The process by which vesicles fuse with the membrane and release their contents.

Endocytosis

The process by which the membrane of a vesicle is retrieved and recycled after neurotransmitter release.

Inhibitory inputs

Signals that decrease the likelihood of an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.

Excitatory inputs

Signals that increase the likelihood of an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.

Spatial summation

The process where multiple signals from different neurons converge on a single postsynaptic neuron.

Temporal summation

The accumulation of signals received in quick succession from a single presynaptic neuron.

Vesicles

Membrane-bound structures that store neurotransmitters in the presynaptic terminal.

Membrane potential

The difference in charge across a cell's membrane, crucial for the generation of action potentials.

Nerve impulse propagation

The movement of action potentials along the axon of a neuron.

Nodes of Ranvier

Gaps in the myelin sheath that speed up action potential propagation.

Axon hillock

The part of the neuron where the action potential is initiated.

Calcium entry

The process by which calcium ions enter the presynaptic terminal, triggering neurotransmitter release.

Neuronal signaling

The process of communication between neurons via neurotransmitters.

Potassium channels

Channels that allow potassium ions to flow out of the neuron, influencing membrane potential.

Sodium channels

Channels that allow sodium ions to enter the neuron, which can depolarize the membrane.

Neurotransmitter recycling

The process of reusing vesicle membranes after neurotransmitter release.

Synaptic cleft

The space between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons where neurotransmitters are released.

Quanta

Discrete packets in which neurotransmitters are released.