In this video Paul Andersen explains how the synapse allows information to travel from one axon to the next. He starts by differentiating between electrical and chemical synapses. He then details the action of the chemical synapse whereby an incoming action potential triggers the opening of voltage-gate Ca2+ channels that trigger the release of neurotransmitters from vesicles into the synaptic cleft. These neurotransmitters dock with receptors and can send either excitatory or inhibitory messages onward. He also explains how long term potentiation can lead to memory formation.
Music Attribution
Intro
Title: I4dsong_loop_main.wav
Artist: CosmicD
Link to sound: http://www.freesound.org/people/CosmicD/sounds/72556/
Creative Commons Atribution License
Outro
Title: String Theory
Artist: Herman Jolly
http://sunsetvalley.bandcamp.com/track/string-theory
All of the images are licensed under creative commons and public domain licensing:
LadyofHats. (2007). English: Complete neuron cell diagram. Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Complete_neuron_cell_diagram_en.svg
Tsukanov, K. (2012). English: Frog dissection during practical work at Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frog_dissection,_1.JPG
USA, J. G. Neuroimaging Department, National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889. (2010). English: FMRI scan during working memory tasks. Working memory tasks typically show activation in the bilateral and superior frontal cortex as well as in parts of the superior bilateral parietal cortex. The highlighted regions showed significantly different activation between an individual performing a 1-Back task versus a 2-Back task.(Graner J, Oakes TR, French LM and Riedy G 2013). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FMRI_scan_during_working_memory_tasks.jpg
