Table of Contents
What is found in the axon terminal of the NMJ?
The axonal terminal contains neurotransmitters (specifically, acetylcholine) that are packaged into vesicles. When calcium floods into the neuron, it binds the proteins on the surface of these vesicles, called SNARE proteins.
Where is the axon in the neuromuscular junction?
A neuromuscular junction is the junction between the axon terminal of a motor neuron and the plasma membrane of the motor end plate of a muscle fiber. With the arrival of an action potential to the axon terminal, voltage-dependent calcium channels open, and calcium infuses into the cell.
What comes out of the axon terminal?
Nerve impulse release The axonal terminals are specialized to release the neurotransmitters of the presynaptic cell. The terminals release transmitter substances into a gap called the synaptic cleft between the terminals and the dendrites of the next neuron.
What are the 3 parts of a neuromuscular junction?
Physiological Anatomy of Neuromuscular Junction For convenience and understanding, the structure of NMJ can be divided into three main parts: a presynaptic part (nerve terminal), the postsynaptic part (motor endplate), and an area between the nerve terminal and motor endplate (synaptic cleft).
What are the three components of a neuromuscular junction quizlet?
NMJ has 3 components: the motor neuron’s presynaptic axon terminal filled with synaptic vesicles and mitochondria; the synaptic cleft; and the postsynaptic membrane on the skeletal muscle fiber.
What is axon and axon terminal?
An axon terminal refers to the axon endings that are somewhat enlarged and often club- or button-shaped. Axon terminals are that part of a nerve cell that make synaptic connections with another nerve cell or with an effector cell (e.g. muscle cell or gland cell).
What is the space between the axon terminal and the Sarcolemma called?
The space within the primary and secondary clefts, located between the axon terminal and the postsynaptic sarcolemma, comprises the synaptic cleft. This space is filled with basal lamina containing acetylcholinesterase (AChE).