INTRO TO NEUROSCIENCE EXAM Q&A
Endogenous ligands - Answer-Neurotransmitters and hormones.
Exogenous ligands - Answer-Drugs and toxins from outside the body.
Up-regulation - Answer-An increase in number of receptors, sensitization.
Down-regulation - Answer-A decrease in numbers of receptors, tolerance.
EEG - Answer-Recording of action potentials.
Generalized convulsions (grand mal) - Answer-Abnormal activity throughout the
brain, tonic/clonic contractions
Absence seizures (petit mal) - Answer-Brain waves show generalized rhythmic
activity for a few seconds, but hundreds of times a day.
Partial seizure - Answer-Simple: normal awareness Complex: impaired awareness
Myoclonic seizure - Answer-Rapid, brief contractions of bodily muscles, which
usually occur at the same time on both sides of the body.
Ionotropic receptors - Answer-Open when bound by a transmitter (also called a
ligand-gated ion channel), DIRECT.
Metabotropic receptors - Answer-Recognize the transmitter but instead activate G
proteins, INDIRECT.
Agonist - Answer-Initiates the normal effects of the receptor.
Antagonist - Answer-Prevents a receptor from being activated by other ligands.
Glutamate - Answer-Acts on mGluRs to slow metabotropic receptors, activates the
neuron, generates a new nerve signal.
Excitotoxicity - Answer-Neural injury such as stroke may cause excess release of
glutamate, which is toxic to neurons.
GABA - Answer-Most common inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain,
Glycine - Answer-Major inhibitory neurotransmitter in spinal cord.
Dopamine - Answer-Reward, reinforcement and learning, schizophrenia, motor
control.
Norepinephrine - Answer-Mood, arousal, sexual behavior, and begins in Locus
coeruleus.
, Serotonin - Answer-Sleep, mood, sexual behavior, and anxiety, in the Raphe nuclei.
Nitric oxide - Answer-Serves as a retrograde transmitter by diffusing back into the
presynaptic neuron.
Acetylcholine - Answer-Two kinds of receptors: nicotinic and muscarinic
Cholinergic - Answer-Within the basal forebrain.
Endogenous opiates - Answer--peptides that bind to opioid receptors & relieve pain
(analgesics)
-addictive
-produce analgesia & feeling of well-being
Neuromodulators - Answer-Indirectly affect transmitter release or receptor response.
Caffeine - Answer-Blocks adenosine receptors.
Antipsychotic (neuroleptic) drugs - Answer-Class of Drugs to treat schizophrenia and
aggressive behavior. Typical neuroleptics are Dopamine antagonists.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) - Answer-Prevent breakdown of
norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.
Tricyclics - Answer-Increase nor epinephrine and serotonin levels at synapse by
blocking reuptake.
Anterograde transport - Answer-Uses kinesin as the enabling protein.
Retrograde transport - Answer-Uses dynein as the enabling protein.
MELAS Syndrome - Answer-Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and
Stroke; Mitochondrial energy failure
Diffusion - Answer-Ions flow from high to low concentration along their concentration
gradient.
Electrostatic Pressure - Answer-Ions flow towards oppositely charged gradients
along electrical gradient.
Gated Channels - Answer-Open and close in response to voltage changes,
chemicals, and mechanical action.
Graded potentials - Answer-Occur in dendrites, reaches action potential.
Action potentials - Answer-Neurons fire at full amplitude or not at all, increase in
frequency with increase of stimulus strength, travel in one direction.
Action potential at the axon hillock - Answer-Voltage-gated Na+ channels open due
to initial depolarization, more and more fill until potential hits 40, then close.
Endogenous ligands - Answer-Neurotransmitters and hormones.
Exogenous ligands - Answer-Drugs and toxins from outside the body.
Up-regulation - Answer-An increase in number of receptors, sensitization.
Down-regulation - Answer-A decrease in numbers of receptors, tolerance.
EEG - Answer-Recording of action potentials.
Generalized convulsions (grand mal) - Answer-Abnormal activity throughout the
brain, tonic/clonic contractions
Absence seizures (petit mal) - Answer-Brain waves show generalized rhythmic
activity for a few seconds, but hundreds of times a day.
Partial seizure - Answer-Simple: normal awareness Complex: impaired awareness
Myoclonic seizure - Answer-Rapid, brief contractions of bodily muscles, which
usually occur at the same time on both sides of the body.
Ionotropic receptors - Answer-Open when bound by a transmitter (also called a
ligand-gated ion channel), DIRECT.
Metabotropic receptors - Answer-Recognize the transmitter but instead activate G
proteins, INDIRECT.
Agonist - Answer-Initiates the normal effects of the receptor.
Antagonist - Answer-Prevents a receptor from being activated by other ligands.
Glutamate - Answer-Acts on mGluRs to slow metabotropic receptors, activates the
neuron, generates a new nerve signal.
Excitotoxicity - Answer-Neural injury such as stroke may cause excess release of
glutamate, which is toxic to neurons.
GABA - Answer-Most common inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain,
Glycine - Answer-Major inhibitory neurotransmitter in spinal cord.
Dopamine - Answer-Reward, reinforcement and learning, schizophrenia, motor
control.
Norepinephrine - Answer-Mood, arousal, sexual behavior, and begins in Locus
coeruleus.
, Serotonin - Answer-Sleep, mood, sexual behavior, and anxiety, in the Raphe nuclei.
Nitric oxide - Answer-Serves as a retrograde transmitter by diffusing back into the
presynaptic neuron.
Acetylcholine - Answer-Two kinds of receptors: nicotinic and muscarinic
Cholinergic - Answer-Within the basal forebrain.
Endogenous opiates - Answer--peptides that bind to opioid receptors & relieve pain
(analgesics)
-addictive
-produce analgesia & feeling of well-being
Neuromodulators - Answer-Indirectly affect transmitter release or receptor response.
Caffeine - Answer-Blocks adenosine receptors.
Antipsychotic (neuroleptic) drugs - Answer-Class of Drugs to treat schizophrenia and
aggressive behavior. Typical neuroleptics are Dopamine antagonists.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) - Answer-Prevent breakdown of
norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.
Tricyclics - Answer-Increase nor epinephrine and serotonin levels at synapse by
blocking reuptake.
Anterograde transport - Answer-Uses kinesin as the enabling protein.
Retrograde transport - Answer-Uses dynein as the enabling protein.
MELAS Syndrome - Answer-Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and
Stroke; Mitochondrial energy failure
Diffusion - Answer-Ions flow from high to low concentration along their concentration
gradient.
Electrostatic Pressure - Answer-Ions flow towards oppositely charged gradients
along electrical gradient.
Gated Channels - Answer-Open and close in response to voltage changes,
chemicals, and mechanical action.
Graded potentials - Answer-Occur in dendrites, reaches action potential.
Action potentials - Answer-Neurons fire at full amplitude or not at all, increase in
frequency with increase of stimulus strength, travel in one direction.
Action potential at the axon hillock - Answer-Voltage-gated Na+ channels open due
to initial depolarization, more and more fill until potential hits 40, then close.
