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→Postsynaptic Mechanisms of Chemical Transmission
* A direct (ionotropic) effect occurs if the binding of the transmitter to the receptor alters the shape of the receptor itself, and the receptor is part of the ion channel; the receptor's change in shape alters the ion channel's shape, and induces it either to open or close.
* An indirect (metabotropic) effect occurs if the binding of the transmitter to the receptor alters a molecule within the nerve cells cell that triggers a sequence of molecular changes that in turn lead to ion channels opening or closing.
* In a subsequent unit, we will have more to say about neurotransmitters and their receptors.
