neurotransmitters

• o   Electrical impulses are converted to chemical neurotransmitters when they reach the synaptic gap as electrical impulses cannot diffuse across.

  o   They are needed to send information from one neurone to the next.

  o   Released from the axon terminals and bind to receptor sites on the other neurone.

  o   In a process called reuptake, neurotransmitters attach to receptor sites and are then re-absorbed and reused by the pre-synaptic neurone.
• o   Synaptic gap can be excitatory or inhibitory.

  o   Excitatory = makes it more likely for the next neurone to fire (acetylcholine)

  o   Inhibitory = makes it less likely for the next neurone to fire (GABA)

  o   Normal brain function is based on the regulation between the excitatory and inhibitor influences.