Chapter 7 & 8: Acetylcholine, Glutamate, and GABA

How is acetylcholine synthesized?

From acetyl CoA and choline from choline acetyltransferase

How is acetylcholine stored and released?

Packaged in vesicles by the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and relaxed when neurons fire

How does botulinum affect acetylcholine?

Botulinum prevents acetylcholine release by blocking vesicle fusion causing muscular paralysis

How is acetylcholine inactivated?

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) breaks down acetylcholine into choline and acetic acid

What prevents Acetylcholine breakdown?

Sarin gas

What are the two types of Acetylcholine receptors?

Nicotinic (ionotropic) and Muscarnic (metabotropic) receptors

What are the functions of M1, M3 and M5bmuscarnic receptors?

They are excitatory and contribute to cognitive processes and drug enforcement

What is the role of the glutamatergic system?

Plays a role in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity

What is the role of AMPA?

Mediate fast excitatory transmission

What is the role of NMDA receptors?

Plays a role in neuronal function and plasticity

What is long term potentiation and its importance?

A process where repeated stimulation strengthens synaptic connections; essential for memory formation

How is glutamate cleared from the synapse?

It is removed by amino acid transporters (EAATs)

What is the function of GABA?

It’s an inhibitory neurotransmitter that lessens the nerve’s cell ability to receive or send messages

How is GABA synthesized?

Synthesized from glutamate by glutamic acid decarboxylase

What are the two main types of GABA receptors?

GABA_A and GABA_B

How is GABA related to epilepsy?

Epileptic seizures result from excessive neuron firing often due to insufficient GABA mediated inhibition