SPLH 620 ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS SET A+
✔✔2 methods of opening channels - ✔✔direct: involves transmitter gated ion channels,
inotropic receptors, fast transmission
indirect: involves post-synaptic receptors linked to g-proteins, metabotropic receptors,
slow transmission
✔✔what are g-proteins? - ✔✔secondary messengers that affect ion channels
✔✔what is spatial summation? - ✔✔the more excitatory synapses that are active at
once, the bigger the EPSP, multiple different synapses
✔✔what is temporal summation? - ✔✔when a given synapse is activated repeatedly
and the effects "add up" over time
✔✔characteristics of PSP - ✔✔- graded
- governed by time and space summation
- not propagated
- no refractory period
✔✔what are the major neurotransmitters? - ✔✔acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA,
dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin
✔✔acetylcholine - ✔✔- lower motor neurons
- fast excitatory
✔✔glutamate - ✔✔- most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the NS
- involved in cognitive functions like learning and memory in the brain
- fast excitatory
✔✔GABA - ✔✔- chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the NS
- CNS interneurons
- fast inhibitory
, ✔✔dopamine - ✔✔- both excitatory and inhibitory
- involved in reward, attentiveness, motivation, learning, and memorization
✔✔norepinephrine - ✔✔- excitatory
- affects the heart
✔✔serotonin - ✔✔- inhibitory
- diverse connections, but critically involved in pain sensation
✔✔2 mechanisms that keep PSP short - ✔✔reuptake and enzymatic deactivation
✔✔reuptake - ✔✔a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron, "recycles"
the transmitter
✔✔enzymatic deactivation - ✔✔the destruction of a neurotransmitter by an enzyme
after its release
✔✔what do peripheral nerves do? - ✔✔they convey information to and from the CNS
✔✔what is the somatic nervous system? - ✔✔sensory nerves send sensory information
to the CNS, motor nerves receive motor commands from the CNS to control skeletal
muscles
✔✔what is the autonomic nervous system? - ✔✔the part of the nervous system
responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as
breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes. also controls homeostasis functions.
✔✔what are sensory receptors? - ✔✔specialized cells housed by sensory receptor
organs to detect specific stimuli
✔✔Interoceptors - ✔✔detect stimuli inside body (blood pressure, blood volume, blood
pH)
✔✔exteroceptors - ✔✔detect stimuli outside body (test, smell, vision, hearing,
equilibrium)
✔✔function of sensory receptors - ✔✔they encode some aspect of the external or
internal environment into a graded electrical signal
✔✔types of sensory receptors - ✔✔chemoreceptors (smell, taste, internal stimuli),
photoreceptors (visual), thermoreceptors (temperature), mechanoreceptors (respond to
physical deformation), nociceptors (pain)
✔✔2 methods of opening channels - ✔✔direct: involves transmitter gated ion channels,
inotropic receptors, fast transmission
indirect: involves post-synaptic receptors linked to g-proteins, metabotropic receptors,
slow transmission
✔✔what are g-proteins? - ✔✔secondary messengers that affect ion channels
✔✔what is spatial summation? - ✔✔the more excitatory synapses that are active at
once, the bigger the EPSP, multiple different synapses
✔✔what is temporal summation? - ✔✔when a given synapse is activated repeatedly
and the effects "add up" over time
✔✔characteristics of PSP - ✔✔- graded
- governed by time and space summation
- not propagated
- no refractory period
✔✔what are the major neurotransmitters? - ✔✔acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA,
dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin
✔✔acetylcholine - ✔✔- lower motor neurons
- fast excitatory
✔✔glutamate - ✔✔- most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the NS
- involved in cognitive functions like learning and memory in the brain
- fast excitatory
✔✔GABA - ✔✔- chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the NS
- CNS interneurons
- fast inhibitory
, ✔✔dopamine - ✔✔- both excitatory and inhibitory
- involved in reward, attentiveness, motivation, learning, and memorization
✔✔norepinephrine - ✔✔- excitatory
- affects the heart
✔✔serotonin - ✔✔- inhibitory
- diverse connections, but critically involved in pain sensation
✔✔2 mechanisms that keep PSP short - ✔✔reuptake and enzymatic deactivation
✔✔reuptake - ✔✔a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron, "recycles"
the transmitter
✔✔enzymatic deactivation - ✔✔the destruction of a neurotransmitter by an enzyme
after its release
✔✔what do peripheral nerves do? - ✔✔they convey information to and from the CNS
✔✔what is the somatic nervous system? - ✔✔sensory nerves send sensory information
to the CNS, motor nerves receive motor commands from the CNS to control skeletal
muscles
✔✔what is the autonomic nervous system? - ✔✔the part of the nervous system
responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as
breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes. also controls homeostasis functions.
✔✔what are sensory receptors? - ✔✔specialized cells housed by sensory receptor
organs to detect specific stimuli
✔✔Interoceptors - ✔✔detect stimuli inside body (blood pressure, blood volume, blood
pH)
✔✔exteroceptors - ✔✔detect stimuli outside body (test, smell, vision, hearing,
equilibrium)
✔✔function of sensory receptors - ✔✔they encode some aspect of the external or
internal environment into a graded electrical signal
✔✔types of sensory receptors - ✔✔chemoreceptors (smell, taste, internal stimuli),
photoreceptors (visual), thermoreceptors (temperature), mechanoreceptors (respond to
physical deformation), nociceptors (pain)
