Neuroscience 1203 for final

Pyramidal cells

The main excitatory neurons of the brain. Sometimes the axon of one pyramidal cell can feed back into itself making a positive feedback loop

How is glutamate recycled after being released into the synaptic cleft

It is taken in to astrocytes by EAAT proteins that break it up into glutamine, which is brought back to the neuron

Ionotropic Glutamate receptors

Ion channels that are fast and excitatory

Factors that can lead to overexcitation

Too many postsynaptic glutamate receptors, too much glutamate released, too few EAAT receptors

NMDA receptors

Ion channels that allow Na+ and Ca2+ into the cell. Requires the cell to be more positively charged to open, this can be achieved when AMPA is activated

AMPA receptors

Ion channels that allow Na+ into the cell, creates a larger and faster EPSP

mGLUr5

Metabotropic g protein coupled receptor, slow and excitatory; when activated creates an endocannabinoid

Long term potentiation

The persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activation. A high-frequency stimulus can produce a long lived increase in the response of the postsynaptic neuron to a single pulse stimulus

Tetanus

A brief high-frequency train of electrical stimuli that can induce LTP

Symptomatic seizure

Seizure that has an identifiable cause; usually trauma, tumor, vascular formation, toxic chemicals or another neurological condition

Idiopathic seizure

Seizure without an identifiable cause, appears spontaneously

Grand mal seizures

Generalized Seizure characterized by loss of consciousness and stereotyped motor activity

Petit mal seizure

Generalized seizure characterized by loss of awareness but no motor component.

anticonvolsants

Drugs used to treat seizures; inhibit discharge of abnormal neuron by stabilizing the membrane, specifically in inhibitory neurons

Effects of endocannabinoids

Bind to CB receptor 1 and inhibit Ca2+ mediated neurotransmitter release of the presynaptic neuron

Glabrous skin

Skin that does not have air follicles, contains larger numbers of sensory receptors than other areas

Nociception

The feelings of pain, temperature, and itch; free nerve endings activated by chemicals

Hapsis

Feeling of fine touch and pressure; activated mechanically through stimulation of hair or tissue

Proprioception

The feeling of the body’s position in space; sensitive to the stretch of muscles and movement of joints

Rapidly adapting receptors

Sensors that respond briefly to the beginning and end of a stimulus; haptic receptors

Slowly adapting receptors

Sensory receptors that respond as long as the stimuli is on the body; Nociceptive receptors