KIVO Med
Synaptic physiology
From intercellular communication circuits to the electrical, chemical, and neuromuscular mechanisms of synaptic transmission.
- 30 explained questions
- 30 flashcards
- 138 estimated course minutes
Updated
What you will learn
- Locate synapses within nervous-system organization and distinguish their major classifications.
- Explain the morphological and functional bases of electrical and chemical synapses.
- Describe the neuromuscular junction from acetylcholine synthesis to the end-plate potential.
- Relate synaptic mechanisms to Lambert–Eaton syndrome, botulism, and myasthenia gravis.
Course outline
Map of the nervous system and the synapse
An overview links afferent and efferent pathways, neural cell types, and the minimal structure of a synapse.
10 min
Classifying synapses by four criteria
Synapses are described by their transmission mode, postsynaptic cell, effect, and released neurotransmitter.
14 min
Electrical synapse: structure and discovery
Electrical transmission relies on gap junctions and was distinguished experimentally from chemical transmission.
14 min
Electrical synapse: functional properties
Direct ion flow makes electrical transmission fast, usually bidirectional, and able to synchronize neuronal populations.
12 min
Chemical synapse: from neurotransmitter to response
A chemical synapse combines vesicles, calcium, receptors, and neurotransmitter removal in a directed sequence.
14 min
Neuromuscular junction: a specialized chemical synapse
The neuromuscular junction brings an alpha motor neuron's ending opposite the motor endplate of a skeletal muscle fibre.
14 min
Presynaptic events at the neuromuscular junction
Acetylcholine is synthesized, stored in vesicles, released by calcium-dependent exocytosis, and rapidly degraded.
16 min
Presynaptic disorders: Lambert–Eaton syndrome and botulism
Two disorders of acetylcholine release illustrate presynaptic vulnerability at the neuromuscular junction.
12 min
Postsynaptic events and the nicotinic receptor
Acetylcholine opens an ionotropic receptor, produces the end-plate potential, and triggers a muscle action potential.
18 min
Myasthenia gravis and the neuromuscular transmission sequence
Myasthenia gravis illustrates a postsynaptic disorder; the final sequence follows the impulse through signal termination.
14 min
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