Name: Act 8

Exercise 3: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses: Activity 8: Chemical Synaptic Transmission and Neurotransmitter Release
Lab Report

Pre-lab Quiz Results

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Experiment Results
Predict Question:
Predict Question 1: You have just observed that each action potential in a burst can trigger additional neurotransmitter
release. If calcium ions are removed from the extracellular solution, what will happen to neurotransmitter release at the axon
terminal?
Your answer : b. There will be more neurotransmitter release.

Predict Question 2: What will happen to neurotransmitter release when low amounts of calcium are added back to the
extracellular solution?
Your answer : d. Neurotransmitter release will increase above control levels.

Predict Question 3: What will happen to neurotransmitter release when magnesium is added to the extracellular solution?
Your answer : b. There will be less neurotransmitter release than in the control solution.

Stop & Think Questions:

Why does the stimulus intensity affect the amount of neurotransmitter release at the axon terminal?
Your answer : a. The stimulus intensity directly affects the amount of calcium entering the axon terminal.
Correct answer: d. Both a and b are correct.

Why is there no neurotransmitter release from the axon terminal when there are no calcium ions in the extracellular
solution?
Your answer : a. Action potential propagation in the axon is calcium dependent.
Correct answer: c. Exocytosis of the synaptic vesicles is calcium dependent.

Why did the high intensity stimulation fail to trigger the same amount of neurotransmitter release in the presence of
extracellular Mg2+ as in the control extracellular solution?
Your answer : c. Mg2+ blocks the voltage-gated sodium channels in the axon.
Correct answer: a. Mg2+ blocks the calcium channels in the axon terminal.

Experiment Data:

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Post-lab Quiz Results
You scored 0% by answering 0 out of 4 questions correctly.

1. How is the neurotransmitter stored in the axon terminal before it is released?

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Correct answer: c. contained in synaptic vessicles

2. Are neurotransmitter molecules released one at a time or in packets?

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Correct answer: b. in packets

3. With the normal extracellular calcium concentration, [Ca2+ ], when the action potential reaches the axon terminal it
triggers
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Correct answer: b. release of neurotransmitter by exocytosis.

4. Comparing the low intensity stimulus to the high intensity stimulus, the high intensity stimulus causes
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Correct answer: b. more synaptic vesicles to undergo exocytosis

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Review Sheet Results
1. When the stimulus intensity is increased, what changes: the number of synaptic vesicles released or the amount of
neurotransmitter per vesicle?
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2. What happened to the amount of neurotransmitter release when you switched from the control extracellular fluid to the
extracellular fluid with no Ca2+ ? How well did the results compare with your prediction?
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3. What happened to the amount of neurotransmitter release when you switched from the extracellular fluid with no Ca2+
to the extracellular fluid with low Ca2+ ? How well did the results compare with your prediction?
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4. How did neurotransmitter release in the Mg2+ extracellular fluid compare to that in the control extracellular fluid? How
well did the result compare with your prediction?
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5. How does Mg2+ block the effect of extracellular calcium on neurotransmitter release?
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