Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The binding of a ligand to the receptor causes a conformation change in the receptor. This conformation change can affect the activity of the receptor and result in the production of active second messengers. [citation needed] In the case of G protein-coupled receptors, the conformation change exposes a binding site for a G-protein.
Two molecular mechanisms for synaptic plasticity involve the NMDA and AMPA glutamate receptors. Opening of NMDA channels (which relates to the level of cellular depolarization) leads to a rise in post-synaptic Ca 2+ concentration and this has been linked to long-term potentiation, LTP (as well as to protein kinase activation); strong depolarization of the post-synaptic cell completely ...
cAMP was discovered by Earl Sutherland and Ted Rall in the mid 1950s. cAMP is considered a secondary messenger along with Ca 2+.Sutherland won the Nobel Prize in 1971 for his discovery of the mechanism of action of epinephrine in glycogenolysis, that requires cAMP as secondary messenger.
Biochemical changes can reduce receptor affinity for a ligand. [41] Reducing the sensitivity of the receptor is a result of receptors being occupied for a long time. This results in a receptor adaptation in which the receptor no longer responds to the signaling molecule. Many receptors have the ability to change in response to ligand ...
This provided early evidence that the NMDA receptor — and by extension, LTP — was required for at least some types of learning and memory. Similarly, Susumu Tonegawa demonstrated in 1996 that the CA1 area of the hippocampus is crucial to the formation of spatial memories in living mice. [ 58 ]
Calcium is a ubiquitous second messenger with wide-ranging physiological roles. [3] These include muscle contraction , neuronal transmission (as in an excitatory synapse ), cellular motility (including the movement of flagella and cilia ), fertilization , cell growth (proliferation), neurogenesis , learning and memory as with synaptic ...
Neuromodulation is the physiological process by which a given neuron uses one or more chemicals to regulate diverse populations of neurons. Neuromodulators typically bind to metabotropic, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to initiate a second messenger signaling cascade that induces a broad, long-lasting signal.
A study done on drosophila reported that an increase in PKA activity can affect short term memory. However, a decrease in PKA activity by 24% inhibited learning abilities and a decrease by 16% affected both learning ability and memory retention. Formation of a normal memory is highly sensitive to PKA levels. [22]