Essay HBS02: A Biological Effect on Target Tissues – Introduction to 5-HT – Nursing Assignment Help

Assignment Task:

Your task 

In module one of HBS202 we have been studying excitable tissues, particularly how signals are generated and the downstream effects of these signals. 

We have discussed the two primary neurotransmitters that are utilised in the peripheral nervous system (ACh and NA) but there are many other neurotransmitters that also exert effects in the CNS and sometimes peripherally. In this assignment, you are going to investigate the neurotransmitter 5-HT, also known as serotonin. 

Your task is to record a brief (3 – 5 min) presentation for your colleagues which covers the following: 

1. Provide a brief introduction to 5-HT. Make sure you include 

• What type of neurotransmitter 5-HT is (e.g. amine, amino acid, purine, etc…) 

• Where you would find 5-HT in the body 

• What the starting material for 5-HT synthesis is 

• How is its action terminated (both centrally and peripherally)? 

2. How does 5-HT produce a biological effect on target tissues? 

• How many different types of receptor are there for 5-HT? 

• Do all the different receptor subtypes exert the same biological effect (i.e. are they excitatory or inhibitory)? 

• Once 5-HT binds to the receptor what is the consequence of its activation (hint: think about the differences between nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors)? 

3. For the remainder of your presentation concentrate on the 5-HT3 receptor. You must discuss: 

• Which tissues express this receptor 

• How does the 5-HT3 receptor work? 

• What are the physiological effects of stimulation of this receptor? 

Your presentation needs to be aimed at second-year undergraduate physiology students (i.e. they are not a ‘lay’ audience), and so we expect you to use physiological terms and be specific in your answers. It is also expected that you will use reputable sources of information and that you will reference your sources adequately.