Coordination

AQA Unit 5 Biology

Frihah Parvaiz

Nerve cells
electrical impulses along their length. They stimulate
target cells by secreting
chemical neurotransmitters directly on to them. This results in rapid, short-lived and localised

Mammalian
blood

are
that stimulate their target cells via
This results in slow, long-lasting and

The hormonal system consists of glands (group of cells that are specialised to secrete a useful
substance, eg pancreas secretes insulin) and hormones
Hormones diffuse directly into the blood then they are taken around the body by the circulatory
system. Each hormone will only bind to receptors in the target cell.
Hormones arent released directly onto their cells, but instead have to travel through the blood

slower. However they arent broken down as

quickly as neurotransmitters so the effects can last for much longer. They response may be
widespread as they are transported all over the body.
to get there; meaning the response time is much

Hormonal System
Communication by hormones
Transmission is by the blood system
Transmission and response is usually relatively slow
Response is often long lasting
Response is widespread
Hormones travel to whole body but only target cells
respond
Effect may be permanent and irreversible

Nervous System
Communication by nerve impulses
Transmission is by neurones
Transmission and response is very rapid
Response is short lived
Response is localised
Nerve impulses travel to specific parts of the body
Effect is temporary and reversible

Histamine and
are local chemical
some mammalian cells and affect only cells in their immediate vicinity.

CHEMICAL MEDIATORS...
...are released from cells and only affect cells in immediate
vicinity.

Usually released by injured cells.

Ssecretion causes blood vessels around the area to dilate

(inflammation)

Histamine

Produced by mast cells in response to injury

Increases permeability of capillaries nearby to allow more immune system cells
to move out of the blood to the infected area

Prostaglandins

Produced by most cells in response to inflammation, fever, blood clotting

Cause warmth, pain and redness around the injured area.

Hormones

They have a few differences to hormones

Chemical mediators are secreted from cells all over the body not just glands
Target cells are nearby (stimulate a local response)
They have to travel a shorter distance so produce a quicker response

In flowering plants, specific growth factors diffuse from growing regions

other
They regulate growth
in
to directional stimuli.
role of indoleacetic acid
in controlling tropisms in flowering

The auxin causes

decreased growth in
the lower side of the
root causing
downwards curvature

The auxin causes increased

growth in the lower side
of the shoot causing
upwards curvature
(negative gravitropism).

(positive gravitropism).

The structure of a myelinated motor

Myelinated motor neurone

The
of a resting potential in terms of differential
electrochemical gradients and the
of sodium

permeability,

Distribution of ions at resting potential

When there is no nerve impulse the membrane potential of an axon

is called resting potential. The inside of the axon is -70Mv. Due to
this difference in charge between the inside and outside of the
axon we say that it is polarised. The sodium- potassium pump
moves sodium out of the neurone but the membrane is
impermeable to sodium ions so they cannot move back in, creating
a sodium ion electrochemical gradient. Potassium ions move into
the axon via the sodium potassium pump however the membrane is
permeable to potassium ions so they diffuse back out through
potassium ion channels. This makes the outside of the cell positively
charged compared to the inside.

in
permeability lead to
generation of an action potential. The all-or-nothing

and the

The action potential

The term action potential and

resting potential can be misleading
because the movement of sodium ions
inwards during the action potential is
due to diffusion and resting potential is
maintained by active transport.

The nature and

of the refractory period in producing

impulses.

of

of an action potential along

Factors affecting the

The

myelination

and

axon diameter;

axons, resulting in nerve

The detailed structure of a

and of a neuromuscular

Candidates should be able to explain

unidirectionality
temporal and spatial summation inhibition.

Structure of a synapse

Summation
Summation is the method of signal transduction between neurons, which determines whether or not
an action potential will be triggered by the summation (adding together) of postsynaptic potentials.

Temporal Summation Temporal summation occurs when

two or more action potentials (nerve impulses) arrive in
rapid succession along a single pre-synaptic neurone.
Spatial Summation Spatial summation occurs when two or
more separate inputs arrive almost simultaneously from
different pre-synaptic neurones. The individual presynaptic potentials add together.

The sequence of events involved in transmission across a cholinergic synapse and across a neuromuscular junction .

Mechanism of transmission across a cholinergic synapse

When provided with information, candidates should be able to predict

explain the effects of specific drugs on a
Recall of the
and mode of action of individual drugs
not be

Some drugs affect synaptic transmission;

1. They are same shape as neurotransmitters so they
mimic action of receptors
2. Block block receptors so they cant be activated
3. Inhibit enzymes that break down neurontrasmitters

Drug
1. Mimic a
neurotransmitter
2. Stimulate the release
of a neurotransmitter
3. Open a neuroreceptor
channel
3. Block a neuroreceptor
channel
5. Inhibit the breakdown
enzyme

Effect
stimulate a synapse
stimulate a synapse

Examples
levodopa
cocaine, caffeine

stimulate a synapse

alcohol, marijuana,

stimulate a synapse

salbutamol atropine, curare,

stimulate a synapse

DTT

Coordination