What is the lizard: a case of PD?
• Loss of DA neurons in SN
• Knowledge of DA transmission integral for Treatment development
– L-dopa
• Symptom loss
• Doesn’t stop disease progressionWhat is resting membrane potential?
• Neuron at rest
– Unstimulated/inactive
• Membrane lipid bilayer
– Ions cannot easily cross
• Positively or negatively charged particles
• Unequally distributed across membrane
• Membrane polarized
– Carrying a charge
– -70mV (inside of neuron is 70 mv less than outside)
• Difference in electrical charge inside and outside cell
How is membrane potential recorded?
• Intracellular electrode
– Microelectrode
• Extracellular electrodes
• Detect difference between inside and outside of cells
What was the giant squid motor neurons used for?
• Used in early studies of resting membrane potential stability
• Hodgkin and Huxley with Eccles won Nobel prize for uncovering ionic mechanism of action potentials
• .5mm diameter (humans is 0.015 mm)
– Large diameter allowed easy electrode insertion
• Terminateonmuscle
• Similar to other multipolar neurons
What is the ionic distribution at rest like?
• Sodium (Na+) higher outside
– Membrane extremely resists passage
• Enters by random motion
– Driven inside cell by electrostatic forces and concentration gradient
• Chloride (Cl-) higher outside
– Membrane slightly resists passage
– At equilibrium
• Potassium (K+) higher inside
– Membrane moderately resists passage
– Driven inside cell by electrostatic pressure
– Driven out by concentration gradient
• Negatively charged proteins inside
– Cannot cross membrane
What is random motion?
Random motion:
Passage of ions through ion channels
down concentration gradient when neuron at rest
How do ions maintain resting potential?
Homogenizing factors
- Concentration gradient
• Tend to equally distribute
• Move from high to low concentration
– Electrostatic pressure
• Like repels like
• Opposites attract
Non-homogenizing factors
– Passive (no energy requirement)
• Random motion
• Due to Selective permeability-ion channels
– At rest:Cl-and K+ PASS READILY
– Active (hi energy requirement)
• Sodium-potassium pumps; maintain stability of RMP in spite of random motion of Na and K down concentration gradients
• Ion distribution returned to rest despite random motion
What are sodium potassium pumps; discovered by H&H?
Active transporter
– Energy consuming
Continuously transfer 3Na+ out and 2K+ in
What are postsynaptic potentials?
• Create signals in neurons
• Neurotransmitters bind to postsynaptic cell
– Cause electrical change in post synaptic cell
• Excitatory neurotransmitter:
– Depolariza1on (increase ++++)
– Membrane potential less negative
– Excitatory post synaptic potential (EPSP)
» Increase likelihood of AP
• Inhibitory neurotransmitter
– Hyper-polarization (increase—)
– Membrane poten=al more negative
– Inhibitory post synaptic potential (IPSP)
» Decrease likelihood of AP
What are EPSP and IPSP?
• Rapidtransmission
– Instantaneous rate of
transmission
• Duration can be variable
– due to graded response
• Graded
– Amplitude proportional to
• Stronger stimuli produce bigger IPSP or EPSP
– Bigger ion influx
– Due to increased NT release or receptor signalling
– Transmit decrementally
• Passive spread from
synapse (dendrite or soma)
• Get weaker as travel (like sound through air)
signal intensity
– Cant travel far (2 mm max)What is an EPSP?
Graded response: amplitude of signal proportional to stimulus intensity
->bigger stimulation = bigger PSP
->larger +ion influx = larger EPSP
Sodium ion flow inward is responsible for the generation of an EPSP
What is an IPSP
Graded response: amplitude of signal proportional to stimulus intensity ->larger -ion influx = larger IPSP Chloride ion flow inward is usually responsible for the generation of an IPSP
What is the integration of PSP to generate AP?
• Adding or combining signals into one overall output (or inhibition of output)
– One EPSP will not suffice
– Need summation
• Net affect of synaptic activity
• Threshold of excitation at axon hillock (axon initial segment)
– Synapses closer to axon hillock have larger effect on firing due to decremental transmission of far away PSPs
• Many inhibitory inputs
• Some distal dendritic sites have
mechanisms to amplify their PSPs
• integration of inputs must result in about -65 mv at hillock for AP
What is spatial summation?
What is temporal summation?
What are action potentials?
• Massive
• Momentary
• Reversal of membrane potential
– -70mV to +50 mV (in 1 msec)
• Does not degrade over space
– Due to voltage gated channel
• All-or-none
– Equal strength throughout
– Occur as long as threshold of activation reached
– Intensity not graded, but frequency increases with more stimulationHow do voltage gated sodium channels generate and propagate APs?
• AP=fire, spike
• Threshold for excitation reached by postsynaptic integration at AIS
– Depolarized to at least -65 mv
– Opens voltage-gated ion channels
• Fast reversal of membrane potential
– -70 mvà+50 mv
– 1 msec
• All-or-none/not graded
– Occur to full extent –or– not at all
– Does not change response based off stimulus
• Just frequency
How are APs produced and conducted?
Voltage gated ion channels
- Open or close in response to membrane potential
What do ions do in APs?
Threshold of excitation
– VG Sodium channels open (rising phase)
• Rush in: electrostatic AND concentration gradient
• Increases membrane potential +50 mv
• Closes vg channel
– VG K+ channels open
• Driven out: electrostatic and concentration gradient
– Membrane repolarized; and slightly hyperpolarized (refractory period)
» K channels close gradually
» Resting potential re-established by random motion of ions and sodium potassium pump.
What is a refractory period?
• Absolute
– brief (1msec) post initiation
– Impossible to initiate new AP
in same neuron
– Sodium channels inactivated
– Spreads down axon behind AP
• Prevent backwards movements of AP
– Backwards propogating APs into soma and dendrites from axon hillock
• Limits to firing rate to 1000x per sec max
– Firing rate determined by stimulation intensity (of PSPs)
• Relative
– Follows absolute period
– Requires larger than threshold stimulus to initiate new AP
– More intense stimulation increase firing rate
What is axon conduction of action potentials?
• Active and passive
– Requires energy
• Nondecremental
– Just as strong from beginning (axon
hillock) to end (synaptic terminal)
• Row of voltage-gated sodium channels
– Domino effect
– Tightly packed
• Creates waves of depolarization
– Spreading can occur in either
direction
• Anterograde: hillock -> boutons
– Orthodromic conduction
• Retrograde: boutons -> hillock
– Antidromic conductionWhat is conduction in myelinated axons?
• Instant conduction along myelin=faster
– Ion flow only at nodes
• Saltatory conduction
– Ap jumps node to node
– Requires less energy
– Sodium channels only on nodes
• Passive (rapid and decremental) node to node
– Diminished before next node
• enough to open next node VG- Na+ channel
What is the velocity of axonal conduction?
• Faster in large diameter
– Less friction
• Faster in myelinated
• Large & myelinated really fast
– Large motor neurons • 224 MPH (100 m/s)
– VS 1 m/sec IN UNMYELINATED
– VS 25 m/sec IN UNMYELINATED SQUID GIANT MOTOR AXONS
• 100 m/sec in cats; 60 m/ sec in humans
PSP vs AP
EPSPs/IPSPs
• Decremental over space and time
• Fast
• Passive (energy is not used)
Action Potentials
• Nondecremental
• Conducted more slowly than PSPs
• Passive and active (use ATP)