Neurobiology 15-BIOL-540 Winter, 2012 Lecture 8

Synaptic transmission

Neurotransmitters are released in discrete quanta.

Miniature End Plate Potentials -- MEPPS

Ca2+ channels

Criteria that define neurotransmitters.

Presynaptic cell activity.

5. Application of putative transmitter must reproduce in the postsynaptic cell the same events produced by stimulating the presynaptic cell.

Two families of neurotransmitters.

(recycling of membrane)

(p* by CaMKII)
(endocytosis)

(Organized by SNAPs, etc.)

(SNAREs, etc.)

Two families of postsynaptic receptors (all of these are ligand-gated).

Ligand-gated ion channels aka Ionotropic receptors

G-protein coupled receptors aka Metabotropic receptors