Neurotransmitters and main functions

• how is acetylcholine made?


  acetyl coA and choline

  enzyme: choline acetyl transferase
• what is acetylcholine broken down into?


  acetate and choline

  enzyme: acetylcholinesterase
• Is acetylcholine inhibitory or excitatory?

  both, excitatory at skeletal muscle and inhibitory at other sites
• where is acetylcholine synthesised?

  in the presynaptic neuron
• where do acetate and choline move to?

  the presyaptic neuron to be recycled
• how many layers of neurons within tissues?

  6
• what are the types of cholingeic receptors?

  nicotinic, muscarinic
• where are nicotinic receptors found?

  neuromuscular junction, brain, autonomic nerves
• Where are muscarinic receptors found?


  smooth muscle, exocrine glands, brains
• what does agonist?


  mimic drug
• what is antagonist?


  decrease chance of action potential firing
• what is a nicotinic receptor?

  agonist - nicotine (tobacco)

  antigonist - curare (paralysis and poison)
• what is alzheimers related to?

  senile plaque- beta amyloid

  neurofibrillary tangle - tao protein
• What occurs in alzhiemer?

  cholinergic neurons die early in alzheimers
• what is a treatment for ad?

  AChE (acetylcholinesterase) inhibitors
• how doe AChE inhibitors work?

  increase the length of choline in the synaptic cleft
• what are types of ache?

  donepezil

  rivastigmine

  galantamine
• why doe AchE not treat ad?

  they slow down rate but do not prevent/treat tangles and plaque
• how are catecholamine made?

  tyrosine -> DOPA -> dopamine -> norepinephrine -> epinephrine
• what is a catechol group?

  phenol ring with 2 oh
• what are the 2 main families of dopamine?

  D1 like and D2 like
• Dopamine only activate through G-proteins
• what are D1-like receptors?

  coupled to stimulatory G-protein
• what are D2-like receptors?

  Coupled to inhibitory G-protein
• what is parkinson caused by?

  low dopamine levels
• what are characteristics of dopamine?

  muscle stiffness

  slowness of movement

  tremor at rest
• what is the age of parkinson onset?

  60, affect 1-2% over 65
• what causes parkinsons?


  degeneration of dopaminergic neuron in the substantic nigra pars compacta and loss of dopamine in the caudate-putamen
• what does substantial nigra responsible for?

  sleep, hence poor sleep in early symptoms
• where is neuromelanin highly expressed?

  in dopaminergic neurons
• how to treat parkinson?

  • motor symptoms are reduced by treatment with L-dopa, which is transported into brain and converted to dopamine
  • Administer of peripherally active Dopa decarboxylase inhibitors prevent premature conversation of L-dopa to dopamine
  • inhibitors of COMPT and MAO-B to inhibit dopamine degradation
• why is dopamine not given?

  too large to cross blood brain barrier and will effect everywhere
• how many receptors does serotonin bind to ?

  14 All G-protein couple (apart from 5-HT3, which is ligand gated)
• which 5-HT causes fast reaction?

  3
• is serotonin broken down?

  no just reuptaken
• what conditions are characteristed by low serotonin?

  depression and anxiety
• how to treat low serotonin levels?

  SSRIs more serotonin in the synpase
• examples of SSRIs:

  • citalopram (Cipramil)
  • escitalopram (Cipralex)
  • fluoxetine (Prozac or Oxactin)
  • paroxetine (Seroxat)
• ways of assessing effectiveness of drug:

  • hamilton depression scale
  • beck depression inventory
  • spielbergers state-trait anxiety inventory
• which GABA is ionotropic?

  A