PhysioEx Exercise 3 Activity 8 22/4/21 17:22

PhysioEx Lab Report

Exercise 3: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses
Activity 8: Chemical Synaptic Transmission and Neurotransmitter Release
Name: Antonio Sánchez
Date: 22 April 2021
Session ID: session-4014e734-3912-f8b0-ba67-9a66a0dedeca

Pre-lab Quiz Results

You have not completed the Pre-lab Quiz.

Experiment Results
Predict Questions
1 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: There will be no change in neurotransmitter release.

2 Predict Question 2: What will happen to neurotransmitter release when low amounts
of calcium are added back to the extracellular solution?

Your answer: Neurotransmitter release will increase above control levels.

3 Predict Question 3: What will happen to neurotransmitter release when magnesium is

added to the extracellular solution?

Your answer: There will be less neurotransmitter release than in the control solution.

Stop & Think Questions

1 Why does the stimulus intensity affect the amount of neurotransmitter release at the
axon terminal?

You correctly answered: Both "The stimulus intensity directly affects the amount of
calcium entering the axon terminal." and "The stimulus intensity proportionally affects
the number of synaptic vesicles that discharge their contents into the synaptic cleft."
are correct.
i

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PhysioEx Exercise 3 Activity 8 22/4/21 17:22

2 Why is there no neurotransmitter release from the axon terminal when there are no
calcium ions in the extracellular solution?

You correctly answered: Exocytosis of the synaptic vesicles is calcium dependent.

3 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?

You correctly answered: Mg2+ blocks the calcium channels in the axon terminal.

Post-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 4 out of 4 questions correctly.

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

You correctly answered: contained in synaptic vessicles.

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

You correctly answered: in packets.

3 With the normal extracellular calcium concentration, [Ca2+], when the action potential
reaches the axon terminal it triggers

You correctly answered: release of neurotransmitter by exocytosis.

4 Comparing the low intensity stimulus to the high intensity stimulus, the high intensity
stimulus causes

You correctly answered: more synaptic vesicles to undergo exocytosis.

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?

Your answer:

number of synaptic vesicles.

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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PhysioEx Exercise 3 Activity 8 22/4/21 17:22

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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?

You did not answer this question.

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?

You did not answer this question.

5 How does Mg2+ block the effect of extracellular calcium on neurotransmitter release?

You did not answer this question.

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