MTSA Advanced Physiology Test 2 Updated Actual
Exam Question and Answer (2026/2027) | A+
Verified
• 2 major divisions of the nervous system -✓✓ central and peripheral
• components of the central nervous system -✓✓ brain and spinal cord
• components of peripheral nervous system -✓✓ cranial nerves, spinal nerves,
ganglia
• number of cranial nerves -✓✓ 12 pairs
• number of spinal nerves -✓✓ 31 pairs
• afferent -✓✓ conveying toward a center
• afferent neurons -✓✓ sensory neurons
• efferent -✓✓ conveying away from the center
• efferent neurons -✓✓ motor neurons
• divisions of the efferent nervous system -✓✓ somatic and autonomic
• divisions of autonomic nervous system -✓✓ sympathetic and parasympathetic
• enclosed and protected by boney structures -✓✓ CNS (brain and spinal cord)
• somatic nervous system -✓✓ the division of the peripheral nervous system that
controls the body's skeletal muscles
• pathway that has preganglionic and post ganglionic neurons -✓✓ efferent
autonomic
• Basic structural unit of the nervous system -✓✓ neuron
,• Dendrites -✓✓ a neuron's branching extensions that receive messages and
conduct impulses TOWARD the cell body
• how many dendrites -✓✓ 0, 1, or many
• interesting fact about dendrites and conduction -✓✓ they have very few voltage
gated Na+ channels and, thus, are poor conductors of action potentials
• how dendrites conduct impulses -✓✓ electrotonic conduction
• electrotonic conduction is.. -✓✓ conduction directly through the cytoplasm.
-allowed by cytoplasm highly concentrated with electrolytes
-conducts toward the axon hillock
-FAST d/t increase electrolytes and increased size = less resistance to flow.
• where voltage gated Na+ channels open in a neuron -✓✓ in the axon hillock (if
the receiving impulses are enough to raise RMP to threshold)
• features of the soma of a neuron -✓✓ -large diameter
-large nucleus
-large nucleolus
-nisal bodies (modified ER)
-large golgi apparatus
-LOTs of ribosomes
-LOTs of mitochondria
• major function of a neuron (based on organelles) -✓✓ protein synthesis (making
neurotransmitters)
• How many axons does a neuron have? -✓✓ only one (but may have collaterals)
• Schwann cells -✓✓ produce myelin sheath in PNS
• The gaps between Schwann cells found at regular intervals in peripheral system
neurons are called ________. -✓✓ Nodes of Ranvier
,• favors one way transmission of impulses in neurons -✓✓ few VG Na+ channels
in the soma with many in the axon.
• three types of neurons -✓✓ multipolar, bipolar, unipolar/pseudounipolar
• Multipolar neurons have -✓✓ multiple dendrites and one axon
• where multipolar neurons are found -✓✓ brain, spinal cord, and somatic motor
fibers
• Bipolar neurons have -✓✓ one axon and one dendrite
• bipolar neurons are found -✓✓ sensory afferent neurons in the:
-rods and cones of the retina
-olfactory neurons
• unipolar neurons have -✓✓ no true dendrites
• unipolar neurons are found -✓✓ almost all sensory afferent neurons!!! (except
olfactory and rods and cones)
• reason sentry receptors aren't dendrites -✓✓ they bypass the cell body
• "glia" literally means -✓✓ "glue"
• Astrocytes -✓✓ -cells shaped like stars
-in the BRAIN
-foot process wrap around capillaries and are one part of blood/brain barrier
• 2 types of ependymal cells -✓✓ ciliated and non-ciliated
• where ependymal cells are found -✓✓ lining the ventricles of the brain and the
passages that connect them
• what do ependymal cells form -✓✓ choroid plexus
, • the choroid plexus does this.. -✓✓ produces CSF (most developed in the 2 lateral
ventricles)
• purpose of ciliated ependymal cells -✓✓ circulate CSF through ventricles
• factors that can affect blood/brain barrier -✓✓ -systemic inflammatory response =
increased capillary permeability
-increased ICP
• 2nd part of the blood/brain barrier -✓✓ tight junctions between capillary
endothelial cells
• resident macrophage in the brain -✓✓ microglial cells
• Oligodendrocytes -✓✓ Type of glial cell in the CNS that wrap axons in a myelin
sheath. (the Schwann Cells of the CNS)
• division of nervous system where ALL the cells are myelinated -✓✓ the CNS
• purpose of myelination -✓✓ increases speed of transmission
• 2 factors in speed of conduction -✓✓ diameter of axon
myelination
• only place action potentials occur in a myelinated axon -✓✓ at the nodes of
ranvier
• do non-myelinated neurons in the PNS have Schwann cells? -✓✓ yes but they are
shaped differently and don't wrap around the axon.
• saltatory conduction -✓✓ the propagation of action potentials along myelinated
axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, increasing the conduction
velocity of action potentials.
• literal meaning of "saltatory" -✓✓ "jump", "dance", "leap"
• 3 classifications of nerve fibers -✓✓ type A, type B, type C
Exam Question and Answer (2026/2027) | A+
Verified
• 2 major divisions of the nervous system -✓✓ central and peripheral
• components of the central nervous system -✓✓ brain and spinal cord
• components of peripheral nervous system -✓✓ cranial nerves, spinal nerves,
ganglia
• number of cranial nerves -✓✓ 12 pairs
• number of spinal nerves -✓✓ 31 pairs
• afferent -✓✓ conveying toward a center
• afferent neurons -✓✓ sensory neurons
• efferent -✓✓ conveying away from the center
• efferent neurons -✓✓ motor neurons
• divisions of the efferent nervous system -✓✓ somatic and autonomic
• divisions of autonomic nervous system -✓✓ sympathetic and parasympathetic
• enclosed and protected by boney structures -✓✓ CNS (brain and spinal cord)
• somatic nervous system -✓✓ the division of the peripheral nervous system that
controls the body's skeletal muscles
• pathway that has preganglionic and post ganglionic neurons -✓✓ efferent
autonomic
• Basic structural unit of the nervous system -✓✓ neuron
,• Dendrites -✓✓ a neuron's branching extensions that receive messages and
conduct impulses TOWARD the cell body
• how many dendrites -✓✓ 0, 1, or many
• interesting fact about dendrites and conduction -✓✓ they have very few voltage
gated Na+ channels and, thus, are poor conductors of action potentials
• how dendrites conduct impulses -✓✓ electrotonic conduction
• electrotonic conduction is.. -✓✓ conduction directly through the cytoplasm.
-allowed by cytoplasm highly concentrated with electrolytes
-conducts toward the axon hillock
-FAST d/t increase electrolytes and increased size = less resistance to flow.
• where voltage gated Na+ channels open in a neuron -✓✓ in the axon hillock (if
the receiving impulses are enough to raise RMP to threshold)
• features of the soma of a neuron -✓✓ -large diameter
-large nucleus
-large nucleolus
-nisal bodies (modified ER)
-large golgi apparatus
-LOTs of ribosomes
-LOTs of mitochondria
• major function of a neuron (based on organelles) -✓✓ protein synthesis (making
neurotransmitters)
• How many axons does a neuron have? -✓✓ only one (but may have collaterals)
• Schwann cells -✓✓ produce myelin sheath in PNS
• The gaps between Schwann cells found at regular intervals in peripheral system
neurons are called ________. -✓✓ Nodes of Ranvier
,• favors one way transmission of impulses in neurons -✓✓ few VG Na+ channels
in the soma with many in the axon.
• three types of neurons -✓✓ multipolar, bipolar, unipolar/pseudounipolar
• Multipolar neurons have -✓✓ multiple dendrites and one axon
• where multipolar neurons are found -✓✓ brain, spinal cord, and somatic motor
fibers
• Bipolar neurons have -✓✓ one axon and one dendrite
• bipolar neurons are found -✓✓ sensory afferent neurons in the:
-rods and cones of the retina
-olfactory neurons
• unipolar neurons have -✓✓ no true dendrites
• unipolar neurons are found -✓✓ almost all sensory afferent neurons!!! (except
olfactory and rods and cones)
• reason sentry receptors aren't dendrites -✓✓ they bypass the cell body
• "glia" literally means -✓✓ "glue"
• Astrocytes -✓✓ -cells shaped like stars
-in the BRAIN
-foot process wrap around capillaries and are one part of blood/brain barrier
• 2 types of ependymal cells -✓✓ ciliated and non-ciliated
• where ependymal cells are found -✓✓ lining the ventricles of the brain and the
passages that connect them
• what do ependymal cells form -✓✓ choroid plexus
, • the choroid plexus does this.. -✓✓ produces CSF (most developed in the 2 lateral
ventricles)
• purpose of ciliated ependymal cells -✓✓ circulate CSF through ventricles
• factors that can affect blood/brain barrier -✓✓ -systemic inflammatory response =
increased capillary permeability
-increased ICP
• 2nd part of the blood/brain barrier -✓✓ tight junctions between capillary
endothelial cells
• resident macrophage in the brain -✓✓ microglial cells
• Oligodendrocytes -✓✓ Type of glial cell in the CNS that wrap axons in a myelin
sheath. (the Schwann Cells of the CNS)
• division of nervous system where ALL the cells are myelinated -✓✓ the CNS
• purpose of myelination -✓✓ increases speed of transmission
• 2 factors in speed of conduction -✓✓ diameter of axon
myelination
• only place action potentials occur in a myelinated axon -✓✓ at the nodes of
ranvier
• do non-myelinated neurons in the PNS have Schwann cells? -✓✓ yes but they are
shaped differently and don't wrap around the axon.
• saltatory conduction -✓✓ the propagation of action potentials along myelinated
axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, increasing the conduction
velocity of action potentials.
• literal meaning of "saltatory" -✓✓ "jump", "dance", "leap"
• 3 classifications of nerve fibers -✓✓ type A, type B, type C
