Ion channels

We learned that there are two different types of ion channels: chemically regulated and voltage regulated. Chemically Regulated Ion Channels open when a Neurotransmitter binds to a receptor in the membrane of the cell. and allow a chemical, such as a Na+ to pass through the membrane. In the case of Ach, the receptor is also the channel. These channels are much slower and much more controlled compared to voltage regulated channels. This is due to the need for each channel to be opened separately when a NT binds to a receptor instead of the gate/door effect for voltage channels. It is more of a trickle than a flood. Voltage Regulated Ion Channels are activated when a certain voltage threshold is reached and then all gates/doors are open and a surge of charge is released.

The topic that intrigued me the most during the lecture was the possibility of using an inhibitor drug to decrease stimulation or sensory information in patients who are hypersensitive to stimuli. At least for those who do not have triggers and for whom continual sensory overload is a problem. My brother is one of these people. He does not have certain tones or sensations that bother him, instead it is the multitude of sensory information that seems to attack him and gets worse in crowded rooms and such. It is though his brain does not have a filter. If it can work for schizophrenics why can't it work for PDD and autistic patients with this problem? Well, I googled and found no answers to my questions. I found sites discussing the use of inhibitors for heart failure and schizophrenia but nothing about its use for sensory integration. I think it is a problem of me knowing just enough to be dangerous.