Flashcards: Neurochemical Communication in the Nervous System — 20 cards

Neurotransmitter stages — sequence?

Synthesis, storage, release, receptor action, deactivation.

Neurochemical types — main classes?

Neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, neurohormones.

Neurohormones — travel via?

Bloodstream to distant targets.

Identifying neurochemicals — criteria?

Presynaptic presence, release upon depolarization, receptor interaction.

Small molecule neurochemicals — examples?

Acetylcholine, monoamines, amino acids, ATP.

Acetylcholine — receptors?

Nicotinic (ionotropic), muscarinic (metabotropic).

Monoamines — include?

Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, epinephrine.

Amino acid neurotransmitters — main types?

Glutamate (excitatory), GABA (inhibitory).

Neuropeptides — synthesis site?

Cell body, transported to axon terminals.

Gasotransmitters — example?

Nitric oxide (NO).

Drug actions — include?

Agonists, antagonists, reuptake inhibitors, enzyme inhibitors.

Nicotinic receptors — type?

Ionotropic, ligand-gated ion channels.

Muscarinic receptors — type?

Metabotropic, G-protein-coupled.

Dopaminergic pathways — include?

Mesostriatal, mesolimbic, mesocortical.

GABA — synthesized from?

Glutamate via GAD enzyme.

Neuropeptides — function?

Modulate neural activity via metabotropic receptors.

Oxytocin — role?

Social bonding and behaviors.

Serotonin — derived from?

Tryptophan amino acid.

Reuptake — effect?

Increases neurotransmitter in synaptic cleft.

Enzymatic degradation — role?

Breaks down neurotransmitters, terminates signals.