INTRO TO NEUROSCIENCE
ASSESSMENT EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
tetrodotoxin - Answer-a toxin that blocks Na+ permeation through voltage-gated
sodium channels, thereby blocking action potentials.
action potential conduction - Answer-the process of using voltage to conduct an
action potential in a cell.
active zone - Answer-a presynaptic membrane differentiation that is the site of
neurotransmitter release.
secretory granule - Answer-a spherical membrane-enclosed vesicle about 100 nm in
diameter containing peptides intended for secretion by exocytosis.
exocytosis - Answer-the process whereby material is released from an intracellular
vesicle into the extracellular space by fusion of the vesicle membrane with the cell
membrane.
autoreceptor - Answer-a receptor in the membrane of a presynaptic axon terminal
that is sensitive to the neurotransmitter released by that terminal.
receptor agonist - Answer-a drug that binds to a receptor and activates it.
second messenger - Answer-a short-lived chemical signal in the cytosol that can
trigger a biochemical response.
synaptic integration - Answer-the process by which EPSP and/or IPSP combine
within one postsynaptic neuron, sometimes triggering one or more action potentials.
spatial summation - Answer-the combining of excitatory postsynaptic potentials
generated at more than one synapse on the same cell.
temporal summation - Answer-the combining of excitatory postsynaptic potentials
generated in rapid succession at the same synapse.
internal resistance - Answer-the resistance to electrical current flows longitudinally
down a cable or neurite.
membrane resistance - Answer-the resistance to electrical current flow across a
membrane.
shunting inhibition - Answer-a form of synaptic inhibition in which the main effect is to
reduce membrane resistance, thereby shunting depolarizing current generated at
excitatory synapses.
ASSESSMENT EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
tetrodotoxin - Answer-a toxin that blocks Na+ permeation through voltage-gated
sodium channels, thereby blocking action potentials.
action potential conduction - Answer-the process of using voltage to conduct an
action potential in a cell.
active zone - Answer-a presynaptic membrane differentiation that is the site of
neurotransmitter release.
secretory granule - Answer-a spherical membrane-enclosed vesicle about 100 nm in
diameter containing peptides intended for secretion by exocytosis.
exocytosis - Answer-the process whereby material is released from an intracellular
vesicle into the extracellular space by fusion of the vesicle membrane with the cell
membrane.
autoreceptor - Answer-a receptor in the membrane of a presynaptic axon terminal
that is sensitive to the neurotransmitter released by that terminal.
receptor agonist - Answer-a drug that binds to a receptor and activates it.
second messenger - Answer-a short-lived chemical signal in the cytosol that can
trigger a biochemical response.
synaptic integration - Answer-the process by which EPSP and/or IPSP combine
within one postsynaptic neuron, sometimes triggering one or more action potentials.
spatial summation - Answer-the combining of excitatory postsynaptic potentials
generated at more than one synapse on the same cell.
temporal summation - Answer-the combining of excitatory postsynaptic potentials
generated in rapid succession at the same synapse.
internal resistance - Answer-the resistance to electrical current flows longitudinally
down a cable or neurite.
membrane resistance - Answer-the resistance to electrical current flow across a
membrane.
shunting inhibition - Answer-a form of synaptic inhibition in which the main effect is to
reduce membrane resistance, thereby shunting depolarizing current generated at
excitatory synapses.
