NEUROBIOLOGY

Terms Definition

Acetylcholine
neurotransmitter capable of inhibitory and excitatory effects;
excitatory for nerve-muscle synapse, inhibitory for heart rate

Action potential
local, transient change in charge through ion flow

All or none law of action

action potentials are atomic; you either cross the threshold or you
potential don’t, and they’re all the same size

Attractant

Attractant
a stimulus (chemical, mechanical, anything) that attracts axons for extension

Axon
long-reaching, limb side of a neuron

Axon guidance
leading axons towards specific locales for growth;
this can be through stimuli or indirectly through randomness

Axon guidance

Axon Hillock
the beginning of the axon, where APs usually start propagating

Cell Body
spherical, big central part of a neuron that contains the nucleus
Commissural axons
belong to axons that grow towards the growth plate;
these are attracted by netrin, a long-range guidance cue

Commissural axons

Dendrites
arms extending from the cell body of a neuron

Dopamine

Dopamine

Excitatory synapse

Filopodia

Floor plate

GABA

Glutamate

Growth cone
the extending/retracting end of an axon; “exploratory” region, has receptors
for ligands to bind to for guidance signaling

Hyperpolarized

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Hypo polarized

Inhibitory Synapse

Ion channels

Ion pumps

Ionotrophic

Lamellipodia

Ligand gated channels

Long range guidance

Metabotrophic

Microfilaments

Microtubules

Mylein sheath

Na+ / K+ channels

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Netrin / DCC
long-range guidance signal, acts on homodimerized DCC receptors to attract
commissural, heterodimerized DCC receptors to repel trochlear

Neuron
a nervous system cell

Neurotransmitter
located on the postsynaptic neuron base (cell body + dendrites);
receptors can alter signaling pathways through number, modifications, and LTP/LTD

Neurotransmitters
ligands/chemicals that bind to receptors and trigger action potential
propagation; regulated through synthesis, reuptake, and degradation

Nodes of Ranvier
gaps in the myelin sheath; these places are nonmyelinated, so ions
leak through and slow down action potential propagation

Post synaptic terminal

Presynaptic terminal

Repellent

Resting potential

Roof plate

Seretonin

Short range Guidance

Summation – temporal

Summation- spatial

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Survival factors

Synapse
area/junction between two neurons; this is where activity happens
for cross-communication and signaling pathways

Threshold potential
the minimum potential difference required to initiate action potential
propagation; usually roughly -55mV

Trochlear axons
axons that grow away from the floor plate; these are repelled by netrin

Voltage gated channels

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