00:00Welcome to 2-Minute Neuroscience, where I simplistically explain neuroscience topics in 2 minutes or less.
00:04In this installment, I will discuss receptors and ligands.
00:08When neurotransmitter molecules are released from a neuron, they pass the signal to the next neuron by interacting with receptors
00:13on that neuron.
00:14These receptors are made up of proteins embedded in the membrane of the postsynaptic cell.
00:19There are two broad families of neurotransmitter receptors.
00:22One type are called ionotropic receptors.
00:25Ionotropic receptors have a site where a neurotransmitter can bind called the binding site.
00:28When neurotransmitter binds here, it causes a channel to open in the receptor, and ions are permitted to flow into
00:34the neuron.
00:35This can change the membrane potential of the neuron and send a signal, known as the action potential, down that
00:39neuron.
00:40The neurotransmitter that binds is called the ligand, which is just a term for any substance that can bind to
00:45a target protein.
00:46Thus, ionotropic receptors are also called ligand-gated ion channels.
00:51The other type of receptors are metabotropic receptors, also known as G-protein-coupled receptors.
00:57Neurotransmitters also bind to these receptors, but instead of immediately opening an ion channel,
01:01the next step after binding is the activation of an intermediate protein called a G-protein.
01:06The G-protein can then influence the opening of ion channels, but it can also affect enzymes
01:10and activate intracellular signaling molecules known as second messengers,
01:14which can initiate signaling cascades within the cell.
01:17T-protein-coupled receptors thus tend to have a slower action,
01:20but can have more widespread effects due to their ability to influence various molecules throughout the cell.
01:26Ligands other than neurotransmitters, such as drugs, can also bind to receptors and have a variety of effects.
01:32If they have the same effect as the neurotransmitter, they are known as agonists.
01:36If they block the effects of the neurotransmitter, they are known as antagonists.
01:41Some drugs can bind to the site the neurotransmitter binds to and have the exact opposite effect of the neurotransmitter.
01:46These are called inverse agonists.
01:48Finally, drugs may bind to a site on the receptor that is separate from the site where the neurotransmitter binds
01:53and affect the likelihood that the neurotransmitter will bind.
01:55In this case, they are called neuromodulators and said to have an allosteric effect.
01:59So they are called the neurotransmitter when they have a little bit of anxiety,
01:59and the neurotransmitter.
01:59So they can't restrict the neurotransmitter when they are in that spot.
02:00So they are called a new neurotransmitter.
02:00So the neurotransmitter can be thought of.
02:00You