VPHY 3100 Exam 2 Questions and Answers Fully Solved Latest Update 2025-2026
Autonomic NS - Answers controls internal activities of organs and glands, part of the peripheral NS
Autonomic efferent pathway - Answers Involves 2 neurons that are connected via a autonomic ganglion
Effector organs of the autonomic NS - Answers Cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, glands
Central control point of autonomic NS - Answers Hypothalamus, brain stem, and spinal cord
Sympathetic division - Answers Fight or flight response, chains of ganglia line the sides of the spinal cord,
split from the spinal nerves and enter paravertebral ganglia, and then branch, some synapse at
prevertebral/collateral ganglia; sympathetic nerves are activated all at once (mass action)
Parasympathetic division - Answers "Rest and digest", preganglionic fibers originate in midbrain,
medulla, pons, and sacral levels of spinal cord, synapse w/ postganglionic fibers in terminal ganglia close
to target organs, vagus nerves are primary route
Autonomic preganglionic NT - Answers Acetylcholine
Sympathetic postganglionic NT - Answers Mostly norepinephrine, some acetylcholine in regards to
skeletal muscle blood vessels and sweat glands
Parasympathetic postganglionic NT - Answers Acetylcholine
Autonomic preganglionic receptor - Answers Nicotinic (ligand-gated ion channel) Ach receptor
Parasympathetic postganglionic receptor - Answers Muscarinic (G-protein-coupled) Ach receptor
Sympathetic postganglionic receptor - Answers a1-,a2-,B1-,B2-adrenergic receptor
Sympathetic excitatory innervation - Answers B1- increased cardiac output; a1- vasoconstriction
Sympathetic inhibitory innervation - Answers B2- relaxation of bronchioles, vasodilation at viscera,
vasodilation at skeletal muscles; muscarinic- vasodilation at skeletal muscles
Sympathetic adrenergic receptors - Answers All GPCRs, modulate ion channel permeability and enzyme
activity
Mechanism of B1, B2 receptor action - Answers Increases cAMP to relax smooth muscles and increase
heart contraction
Mechanism of a1 receptor action - Answers Increased Ca leads to smooth muscle contraction, which
leads to vasoconstriction at certain viscera
Parasympathetic cholinergic innervation - Answers Postganglionic fibers release Ach
, Parasympathetic cholinergic effects - Answers M3,M5 activation leads to increased Ca concentration,
which leads to depolarization of smooth muscles/increased gland secretions; M2 activation slows heart
rate
Visceral organ innervation - Answers Dually-innervated, either antagonistic, complementary (similar
effects), or cooperative (synergistic effects)
Exclusively sympathetically-innervated organs - Answers Adrenal medulla, arrector pili muscles, sweat
glands, most blood vessels
CNS control of ANS - Answers Cortex-> limbic system and hypothalamus-> reticular formation
(respiratory centers), medulla (controls cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems) ->
smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, glands
Types of information conveyed by sensory systems - Answers Modality, intensity, time course, and
location of stimulus
Modality - Answers Type of sense- taste, touch, smell, sight, sounds, pain, temp, itch, proprioception,
balance; each sensory receptor responds to a specific modality and transduces it into membrane
potential
Classes of sensory receptor - Answers Mechano-, chemo-, thermo-, and photoreceptors
Generator potentials - Answers Produced in specialized dendritic processed of primary sensory neurons
Receptor potentials - Answers Produced in specialized epithelial cells, communicated to associated
primary sensory neurons
Phasic receptors - Answers Fast-adapting receptors
Tonic receptors - Answers slow-adapting receptors
Receptive field - Answers Encodes the location of the stimulus, composed of a center and a surround in
sensory systems
Cutaneous receptors - Answers Include touch/pressure receptors, hot/cold receptors, and nociceptors
(pain)
Propioceptors - Answers Includes muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs, and joint receptors
Free nerve endings (cutaneous Rs) - Answers Unmylenated dendrites of sensory neurons around hair
follicles that sense light touch, hot/cold, and pain
Merkel's discs - Answers Expanded dendritic ending at the base of the epidermis that sense sustained
touch and pressure
Autonomic NS - Answers controls internal activities of organs and glands, part of the peripheral NS
Autonomic efferent pathway - Answers Involves 2 neurons that are connected via a autonomic ganglion
Effector organs of the autonomic NS - Answers Cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, glands
Central control point of autonomic NS - Answers Hypothalamus, brain stem, and spinal cord
Sympathetic division - Answers Fight or flight response, chains of ganglia line the sides of the spinal cord,
split from the spinal nerves and enter paravertebral ganglia, and then branch, some synapse at
prevertebral/collateral ganglia; sympathetic nerves are activated all at once (mass action)
Parasympathetic division - Answers "Rest and digest", preganglionic fibers originate in midbrain,
medulla, pons, and sacral levels of spinal cord, synapse w/ postganglionic fibers in terminal ganglia close
to target organs, vagus nerves are primary route
Autonomic preganglionic NT - Answers Acetylcholine
Sympathetic postganglionic NT - Answers Mostly norepinephrine, some acetylcholine in regards to
skeletal muscle blood vessels and sweat glands
Parasympathetic postganglionic NT - Answers Acetylcholine
Autonomic preganglionic receptor - Answers Nicotinic (ligand-gated ion channel) Ach receptor
Parasympathetic postganglionic receptor - Answers Muscarinic (G-protein-coupled) Ach receptor
Sympathetic postganglionic receptor - Answers a1-,a2-,B1-,B2-adrenergic receptor
Sympathetic excitatory innervation - Answers B1- increased cardiac output; a1- vasoconstriction
Sympathetic inhibitory innervation - Answers B2- relaxation of bronchioles, vasodilation at viscera,
vasodilation at skeletal muscles; muscarinic- vasodilation at skeletal muscles
Sympathetic adrenergic receptors - Answers All GPCRs, modulate ion channel permeability and enzyme
activity
Mechanism of B1, B2 receptor action - Answers Increases cAMP to relax smooth muscles and increase
heart contraction
Mechanism of a1 receptor action - Answers Increased Ca leads to smooth muscle contraction, which
leads to vasoconstriction at certain viscera
Parasympathetic cholinergic innervation - Answers Postganglionic fibers release Ach
, Parasympathetic cholinergic effects - Answers M3,M5 activation leads to increased Ca concentration,
which leads to depolarization of smooth muscles/increased gland secretions; M2 activation slows heart
rate
Visceral organ innervation - Answers Dually-innervated, either antagonistic, complementary (similar
effects), or cooperative (synergistic effects)
Exclusively sympathetically-innervated organs - Answers Adrenal medulla, arrector pili muscles, sweat
glands, most blood vessels
CNS control of ANS - Answers Cortex-> limbic system and hypothalamus-> reticular formation
(respiratory centers), medulla (controls cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems) ->
smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, glands
Types of information conveyed by sensory systems - Answers Modality, intensity, time course, and
location of stimulus
Modality - Answers Type of sense- taste, touch, smell, sight, sounds, pain, temp, itch, proprioception,
balance; each sensory receptor responds to a specific modality and transduces it into membrane
potential
Classes of sensory receptor - Answers Mechano-, chemo-, thermo-, and photoreceptors
Generator potentials - Answers Produced in specialized dendritic processed of primary sensory neurons
Receptor potentials - Answers Produced in specialized epithelial cells, communicated to associated
primary sensory neurons
Phasic receptors - Answers Fast-adapting receptors
Tonic receptors - Answers slow-adapting receptors
Receptive field - Answers Encodes the location of the stimulus, composed of a center and a surround in
sensory systems
Cutaneous receptors - Answers Include touch/pressure receptors, hot/cold receptors, and nociceptors
(pain)
Propioceptors - Answers Includes muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs, and joint receptors
Free nerve endings (cutaneous Rs) - Answers Unmylenated dendrites of sensory neurons around hair
follicles that sense light touch, hot/cold, and pain
Merkel's discs - Answers Expanded dendritic ending at the base of the epidermis that sense sustained
touch and pressure
