EPPP Physiological Psychology and
Psychopharmacology Prep Exam
2025-2026 All Questions Answered
Correct.
Neuron - Answer Specialized cell directly involved in mental processes and behavior
Three distinct components of Neurons - Answer 1. Axons
2. Dendrites
3. Soma
In its resting state, the inside of the cell is _____________ charged relative to the
outside of the cell - Answer Negatively
What causes a state of depolarization in neurons? - Answer When dendrites receive
sufficient stimulation, sodium channels in membrane open which allows positively
charged sodium ions to enter the cell
Action potential - Answer a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down
an axon
Depolarization is followed by __________________, in which ___________ channels
close and ______________ channels open, - Answer Repolarization; sodium;
potassium
All-or-none principle - Answer Whenever the stimulation received by a neuron
exceeds a given threshold, the resulting action potential reaches the axon terminal
Synaptic transmission - Answer Transmission of info from one nerve cell to another,
involving the release of a neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters - Answer Chemical substances that transmit signals form one
neuron to another
Acetylcholine - Answer A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also
triggers muscle contraction
Two types of receptors on which Acetylcholine acts - Answer 1. Muscarinic
2. Nicotinic
Dopamine - Answer Involved in regulation of movement, personality, mood, memory,
and sleep
Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia - Answer Holds that schizophrenia is due to
elevated dopamine levels or oversensitivity of dopamine receptors
Dopamine in Tourette's Disorder - Answer Oversensitivity to or excessive dopamine in
,Norepinephrine - Answer Plays important role in mood, attention, dreaming, learning,
and certain autonomic functions
Catecholamine hypothesis of depression - Answer Predicts that some forms of
depression are due to lower-than-normal levels of this neurotransmitter
Serotonin - Answer Exerts inhibitory effect and has been implicated in mood, hunger,
temperature regulation, sexual activity, arousal, sleep, aggression, and migraine
headache
Elevates levels of serotonin contribute to which clinical factors/disorders? - Answer 1.
Schizophrenia
2. Autism
3. Food restriction associated with Anorexia Nervosa
Low levels of Serotonin play a role in which clinical factors/disorders? - Answer 1.
Aggression
2. Depresison
3. Suicide
4. Bulimia nervosa
5. OCD
GABA - Answer Inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays a role in eating, seizure, anxiety
disorder, motor control, vision, and sleep
Low levels of GABA have been linked to ______________ - Answer Anxiety disorders
Glutamate - Answer Excitatory neurotransmitter that plays a role in learning and
memory, specifically playing a role in long-term potentiation
Endorphins - Answer Inhibitory neuromodulators that lower the sensitivity of
postsynaptic neurons to neurotransmitters; analgesic properties, implicated in
pleasurable experiences
Excessive glutamate receptor activity can result in _______________ and may
contribute to _________________________ - Answer 1. seizures
2. Stroke-related brain damage, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease
Two main parts of the Central Nervous System - Answer Brain and spinal cord
Spinal cord - Answer Carries information between the brain and the peripheral
nervous system, coordinates activities of the left and right sides of body, controls simple
reflexes that don't involve the brain
Afferent nerve fibers in spinal cord: location and type of message carried - Answer 1.
Located in the superior portion of the spinal cord, the dorsal horns
2. Sensory messages
,Damage at the cervical level of the spinal cord results in ________________ - Answer
Quadriplegia
Damage at the thoracic level of the spinal cord results in ________________ - Answer
Paraplegia
Three meninges of the CNS - Answer 1. Dura mater
2. Arachnoid
3. Pia mater
Hydrocephalus - Answer Caused by an obstruction of the flow of CSF that leads to
build-up of fluid and enlargement of ventricles
Ventricles and schizophrenia - Answer Larger-than-normal ventricles have been found
in some individuals with schizophrenia
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) - Answer the sensory and motor neurons that
connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body
Two subsystems of the Peripheral Nervous System - Answer 1. Somatic nervous
system
2. Autonomic nervous system
Somatic nervous system - Answer Governs activities that are ordinarily considered
voluntary; comprised of sensory nerves carrying info from sense receptors to the CNS
and motor nerves carrying info from CNS to skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system - Answer Governs activities that involuntary; comprised of
sensory nerves conveying signals from receptors in the viscera to the CNS and motor
nerves carrying signals from CNS to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
Two branches of the autonomic nervous system - Answer 1. Sympathetic
2. Parasympathetic
Sympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system - Answer Associated with arousal
and expenditure of energy
Parasympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system - Answer Involved in
conservation of energy and is active during digestion and periods of rest and relaxation
List five main stages of human brain development - Answer 1. Proliferation
2. Migration
3 Differentiation
4. Myelination
5. Synaptogenesis
Human brain development: Proliferation - Answer New cells are produced inside
, Human brain development: Differentiation - Answer Neurons develop axons and
dendrites
Human brain development: Myelination - Answer Axons of some neurons myelinate
Human brain development: Synaptogenesis - Answer Synapses form
Types of structural neuroimaging techniques - Answer 1. Computed tomography (CT)
2. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Types of functional neuroimaging techniques - Answer 1. Positron-emission
tomography (PET)
2. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Structural neuroimaging techniques provide information on the _____________ of the
brain, while functional neuroimaging techniques provide information on
_________________ - Answer 1. Structure and function of the brain
2. Brain activity
Structures comprising the hindbrain - Answer 1. Medulla
2. Pons
3. Cerebellum
Medulla - Answer Influences flow of info between spinal cord and brain, regulates
breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure
Pons - Answer Connects two halves of cerebellum and plays a role in integration of
movements in the right and left sides of the body
Cerebellum - Answer important for balance, posture, and coordinated and refined
movement (in conjunction with basal ganglia and motor cortex)
Ataxia - Answer Slurred speech, severe, tremors, and lass of balance resulting from
damage to the cerebellum
Structures of the midbrain - Answer 1. Superior and inferior colliculi
2. Substantia nigra
3. Reticular formation
Superior colliculi - Answer Serve as routes for visual information
Inferior colliculi - Answer Serve as routes for auditory information
Reticular formation - Answer Involved in respiration, coughing, vomiting, posture,
locomotion, and REM sleep
Reticular activating system - Answer Part of reticular formation that is vital to
consciousness, arousal, and wakefulness
Psychopharmacology Prep Exam
2025-2026 All Questions Answered
Correct.
Neuron - Answer Specialized cell directly involved in mental processes and behavior
Three distinct components of Neurons - Answer 1. Axons
2. Dendrites
3. Soma
In its resting state, the inside of the cell is _____________ charged relative to the
outside of the cell - Answer Negatively
What causes a state of depolarization in neurons? - Answer When dendrites receive
sufficient stimulation, sodium channels in membrane open which allows positively
charged sodium ions to enter the cell
Action potential - Answer a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down
an axon
Depolarization is followed by __________________, in which ___________ channels
close and ______________ channels open, - Answer Repolarization; sodium;
potassium
All-or-none principle - Answer Whenever the stimulation received by a neuron
exceeds a given threshold, the resulting action potential reaches the axon terminal
Synaptic transmission - Answer Transmission of info from one nerve cell to another,
involving the release of a neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft
Neurotransmitters - Answer Chemical substances that transmit signals form one
neuron to another
Acetylcholine - Answer A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also
triggers muscle contraction
Two types of receptors on which Acetylcholine acts - Answer 1. Muscarinic
2. Nicotinic
Dopamine - Answer Involved in regulation of movement, personality, mood, memory,
and sleep
Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia - Answer Holds that schizophrenia is due to
elevated dopamine levels or oversensitivity of dopamine receptors
Dopamine in Tourette's Disorder - Answer Oversensitivity to or excessive dopamine in
,Norepinephrine - Answer Plays important role in mood, attention, dreaming, learning,
and certain autonomic functions
Catecholamine hypothesis of depression - Answer Predicts that some forms of
depression are due to lower-than-normal levels of this neurotransmitter
Serotonin - Answer Exerts inhibitory effect and has been implicated in mood, hunger,
temperature regulation, sexual activity, arousal, sleep, aggression, and migraine
headache
Elevates levels of serotonin contribute to which clinical factors/disorders? - Answer 1.
Schizophrenia
2. Autism
3. Food restriction associated with Anorexia Nervosa
Low levels of Serotonin play a role in which clinical factors/disorders? - Answer 1.
Aggression
2. Depresison
3. Suicide
4. Bulimia nervosa
5. OCD
GABA - Answer Inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays a role in eating, seizure, anxiety
disorder, motor control, vision, and sleep
Low levels of GABA have been linked to ______________ - Answer Anxiety disorders
Glutamate - Answer Excitatory neurotransmitter that plays a role in learning and
memory, specifically playing a role in long-term potentiation
Endorphins - Answer Inhibitory neuromodulators that lower the sensitivity of
postsynaptic neurons to neurotransmitters; analgesic properties, implicated in
pleasurable experiences
Excessive glutamate receptor activity can result in _______________ and may
contribute to _________________________ - Answer 1. seizures
2. Stroke-related brain damage, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease
Two main parts of the Central Nervous System - Answer Brain and spinal cord
Spinal cord - Answer Carries information between the brain and the peripheral
nervous system, coordinates activities of the left and right sides of body, controls simple
reflexes that don't involve the brain
Afferent nerve fibers in spinal cord: location and type of message carried - Answer 1.
Located in the superior portion of the spinal cord, the dorsal horns
2. Sensory messages
,Damage at the cervical level of the spinal cord results in ________________ - Answer
Quadriplegia
Damage at the thoracic level of the spinal cord results in ________________ - Answer
Paraplegia
Three meninges of the CNS - Answer 1. Dura mater
2. Arachnoid
3. Pia mater
Hydrocephalus - Answer Caused by an obstruction of the flow of CSF that leads to
build-up of fluid and enlargement of ventricles
Ventricles and schizophrenia - Answer Larger-than-normal ventricles have been found
in some individuals with schizophrenia
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) - Answer the sensory and motor neurons that
connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body
Two subsystems of the Peripheral Nervous System - Answer 1. Somatic nervous
system
2. Autonomic nervous system
Somatic nervous system - Answer Governs activities that are ordinarily considered
voluntary; comprised of sensory nerves carrying info from sense receptors to the CNS
and motor nerves carrying info from CNS to skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system - Answer Governs activities that involuntary; comprised of
sensory nerves conveying signals from receptors in the viscera to the CNS and motor
nerves carrying signals from CNS to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
Two branches of the autonomic nervous system - Answer 1. Sympathetic
2. Parasympathetic
Sympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system - Answer Associated with arousal
and expenditure of energy
Parasympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system - Answer Involved in
conservation of energy and is active during digestion and periods of rest and relaxation
List five main stages of human brain development - Answer 1. Proliferation
2. Migration
3 Differentiation
4. Myelination
5. Synaptogenesis
Human brain development: Proliferation - Answer New cells are produced inside
, Human brain development: Differentiation - Answer Neurons develop axons and
dendrites
Human brain development: Myelination - Answer Axons of some neurons myelinate
Human brain development: Synaptogenesis - Answer Synapses form
Types of structural neuroimaging techniques - Answer 1. Computed tomography (CT)
2. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Types of functional neuroimaging techniques - Answer 1. Positron-emission
tomography (PET)
2. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Structural neuroimaging techniques provide information on the _____________ of the
brain, while functional neuroimaging techniques provide information on
_________________ - Answer 1. Structure and function of the brain
2. Brain activity
Structures comprising the hindbrain - Answer 1. Medulla
2. Pons
3. Cerebellum
Medulla - Answer Influences flow of info between spinal cord and brain, regulates
breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure
Pons - Answer Connects two halves of cerebellum and plays a role in integration of
movements in the right and left sides of the body
Cerebellum - Answer important for balance, posture, and coordinated and refined
movement (in conjunction with basal ganglia and motor cortex)
Ataxia - Answer Slurred speech, severe, tremors, and lass of balance resulting from
damage to the cerebellum
Structures of the midbrain - Answer 1. Superior and inferior colliculi
2. Substantia nigra
3. Reticular formation
Superior colliculi - Answer Serve as routes for visual information
Inferior colliculi - Answer Serve as routes for auditory information
Reticular formation - Answer Involved in respiration, coughing, vomiting, posture,
locomotion, and REM sleep
Reticular activating system - Answer Part of reticular formation that is vital to
consciousness, arousal, and wakefulness
