Neuroscience Module BDS, First Year: Chemical Synapses Electric Synapses
Neuroscience Module BDS, First Year: Chemical Synapses Electric Synapses
1. Tabulate the differences between chemical and electrical synapses? (05 marks)
Ans. The minimum time required for transmission across the synapse.
3. How are receptors classified according to the type of stimulus they detect?(05 marks)
Ans.
1. Mechanoreceptors:
They detect pressure and movement i.e touch, hearing, balance and blood pressure.
mechanical compression /stretching eg. free nerve endings, Merkels discs, Ruffini’s endings,
Meissner’s corpuscles.
2. Chemoreceptors:
They detect chemicals eg. taste buds, receptors of olfactory epithelium, aortic &carotid
bodies etc
3. Thermoreceptors:
they detect temperature i.e Cold and warm receptors
4. Nociceptors:
Also called pain receptors, detect pain free nerve endings……physical/chemical damage
5. Electromagnetic receptors:
eg. Rods and cones.
4. What are the effects of the following on synaptic transmission ? (05 marks)
a) Alkalosis
b) Acidosis
c) Hypoxia
Neuronal excitability is also highly dependent on an adequate supply of oxygen. Cessation of oxygen for
only a few seconds can cause complete inexcitability of some neurons.
d) Local anaesthetics
Most of the anesthetics increase the neuronal membrane threshold for excitation and thereby decrease
synaptic transmission at many points in the nervous system.
e) Caffeine
Many drugs are known to increase the excitability of neurons and others are known to decrease
excitability.
For instance
Caffeine
Theophyline
All increase neuronal excitability presumably by reducing the threshold for excitation of
neurons.
Abu Bakar.
1st year BDS
Roll # 02
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