MMED2933: Fundamental Neuroscience- AMPA Receptors and NMDA Receptors- Neuroscience Assignment Help

Internal Code: 1HCED

Neuroscience Assignment Help:

Task: 1. Dendrites in many parts of the brain contain both AMPA receptors and NMDA receptors. Glutamate is the endogenous agonist for both of these receptors. The two types of receptor are often located together at postsynaptic sites on dendritic spines that protrude from the shafts of dendrites. Under some conditions, glutamate release from presynaptic terminals and its binding to NMDA receptors leads to changes that result in phosphorylation of the AMPA receptors. This phosphorylation then results in increased current flow through the AMPA receptors when subsequent action potentials release glutamate from the pre-synaptic terminals. (a) Outline a plausible series of molecular events that could occur following the release of glutamate from the presynaptic terminal which involve NMDA receptors and result in phosphorylation of AMPA receptors in the dendritic spines. (Note: you do not need to find out the precise details of the relevant molecular events but you should propose a plausible mechanism as to how this could happen based on your knowledge of glutamate neurotransmission and intracellular signalling.) (b) Describe cellular and molecular changes that would need to occur to switch off all features of the response described in part (a) once presynaptic release of glutamate has stopped. 2. The NMDA receptor plays many important roles in nervous system function. Four research articles are listed below that investigated the properties of NMDA receptors or the consequences of NMDA receptor activation. These were published in prominent journals in the last few years. You should choose one of these articles and obtain a copy. (You should be able to access copies electronically via the Library website or, in some instances, directly from the publisher’s website.) The questions below ask you to extract some key information from the paper you have selected and present it in your own words. You will probably not need to read the whole paper to answer the questions. Also, you will not necessarily need to understand all of the details in the Methods and Results sections of the paper. You will be assessed on your ability to understand key information and describe it in your own words within the specified word limits. You will lose marks for not using your own words or for exceeding the word limits. Questions (a) What was the main issue or question that was addressed in the study? For this part of your answer, you should be describing the major specific aim of the study in your own words, not the results or their broader implications. (Less than 50 words) (b) Summarise the main results from the study. (Less than 100 words) (c) Briefly describe two ways in which the NMDA receptor or its properties were directly manipulated or measured in the paper. This only needs to be a general description of the technique or manipulation that summarises the most essential aspects (i.e. what was measured or manipulated and a brief description of how this was done). You do not need to give a detailed description of the experimental procedure. (Each description should be less than 50 words. In some instances it could be considerably shorter).