Conduction & Neurotransmission

Marieb & Hoehn pp388-421

Dr Nicole Reinke PC1001 / PP2101

nicole.reinke@jcu.edu.au
• Objectives
– Describe the different types of nerve cells
– Describe the structure of a typical neuron and the functions
of the components
– Describe the different types of glial cells and their
functions
– Discuss the factors that affect the speed with which action
potentials are propagated
– Understand the process of neurotransmission
 Neuron
• Highly specialised to transmit messages

• Cell body (soma)

– Organelles
– Incoming signals

• Dendrites
– Incoming signals

• Axon
– Outgoing signals
– Axon hillock

• Axon terminals

Rhoades & Pflanzer Figure 7-8

Types of Neurons: Function

Sensory/afferent neurons

Interneurons

Motor/efferent neurons

Marieb & Hoehn Figure 11.1 with modifications

Types of Neurons:
Structure

Rhoades & Pflanzer Figure 7-8

Marieb & Hoehn Figure12.32
Neuroglia

Marieb & Hoehn Figure 11.3

 Nerve Impulse Conduction
• Irritability
• Conductivity

• Nerve impulse = moving action potential

Rhoades & Pflanzer Figure 7-19
 Speed of transmission

• speed of impulse transmission varies due to:

– axon diameter
• less resistance to current flow
– degree of myelination
 Myelination

• Schwann cells (PNS), Oligodendrocytes (CNS)

• Nodes of Ranvier

• myelin insulates axon & prevents charge leakage

Marieb & Hoehn Figure 11.5
Rhoades & Pflanzer Figure 7-20
20 12 5 1.5

120 75 30 2
• Multiple Sclerosis
– Loss of myelin
– Axon scarring
– Slowed impulse transmission
 Neurotransmission
• how nerves communicate with each other and with body
structures

• communication occurs at the synapse.

• presynaptic neuron
• postsynaptic neuron
• synaptic cleft

Marieb & Hoehn Figure 11.17

Synaptic cleft
 Neurotransmission

• neurotransmitters are stored in axon terminals of presynaptic

neuron (in vesicles)
• Neurotransmitter released from presynaptic neuron
• diffuses into synaptic cleft
• interacts with receptor on postsynaptic terminal

• Chemical Synapse
Marieb & Hoehn Figure 11.18
 Neurotransmitters

– Acetylcholine (ACh)
• cholinergic synapses
• Alzheimer’s disease

– Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
• adrenergic synapses

– Dopamine

– Serotonin

– Glutamate

• Excitatory vs Inhibitory neurotransmitters

 Graded Potential vs Action Potential

• Postsynaptic potentials = Graded potentials

– Local changes in membrane potential
– More positive (depolarization) or more negative (hyperpolarization)

• Action potentials
– All-or-none once threshold is reached
• Postsynaptic potentials

– Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP)

– Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSP)

 Information Processing

• Information decoding
– Sum of the activity of inhibitory and excitatory synapses

• Information encoding
– Generation of impulses proportional to overall intensity of
incoming stimuli

Marieb & Hoehn Figure 11.17