Question

The binding of the neurotransmitter to receptors on the motor end plate causes which of the following to occur?

Answer 1

The correct answer is: Binding of the neurotransmitter causes chemically gated sodium channels to open in the motor end plate (junctional folds of the sarcolemma) and sodium enters the cell.

Action potential travels through the membrane of the presynaptic cell causing the voltage-gated channels permeable to calcium ions to open. Ca2+ flow through the presynaptic membrane and increase the Ca concentration in the cell which will activate proteins attached to vesicles that contain a neurotransmitter (e.g. acetylcholine). Vesicles fuse with the membrane of the presynaptic cell, thereby release their contents into the synaptic cleft-space between the membranes of the pre- and postsynaptic cells. Neurotransmitter ACh binds to its receptors on the postsynaptic membrane and its binding causes depolarization of the target cell (muscle cell). Depolarization occurs because sodium enters the cell as a result of neurotransmitter receptor binding.