Prerequisite, permission of instructor. Considers the genesis of electrical impulses in the nervous system with emphasis on membrance potentials, voltage-gated ion channels, and structural features of neurons that influence coding. Course meets for five weeks with six lecture hours per week. Prerequisite, permission of instructor. Consideration of membrane receptor molecules activated by neurotransmitters in the nervous system with emphasis on ligand binding behavior and molecular and functional properties of different classes of receptors.
Course meets for four weeks with six lecture hours per week.
Prerequisite, permission of instructor. The mechanisms regulating the release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals are explored including quantal release, vesicle and terminal membrane proteins, neurotransmitter transporters, and plasticity of synaptic transmission. Course meets for five weeks with six lecture hours per week. Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Explores biochemical signal transduction events following activation of neurotransmitter receptors including G-protein coupling, desensitization, signaling specificty, downstream effectors, calcium signaling and tryosine kinases.