Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
The signal received by a neuron is transmitted to other cells through its - Correct Answer-
axon terminals
Which term means towards the belly? - Correct Answer- ventral
What would be the most likely result of damage to the medulla? - Correct Answer- death
Which statement regarding ions is true? - Correct Answer- Positively charged cations are
attracted to the intracellular fluid.
Which ion concentration/location relationship is true when a neuron is at rest? - Correct
Answer- More potassium (K+) inside the cell
When a neuron is at resting potential, where are most anions located? - Correct Answer-
inside the neuron
The change in membrane potential from -60mV to -90mV would be - Correct Answer- a type
of hyperpolarization
Which of the following would result in depolarization of the neuron? - Correct Answer-
influx of Na+
Exocytosis is directly dependent on an influx of what ion - Correct Answer- calcium
You apply a new drug to a different batch of neurons and record membrane potential changes
in the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. You record an action potential in the presynaptic
neuron and a change from -70mV to -90mV in the postsynaptic neuron. Your drug most likely
allowed which ion into the postsynaptic neuron? - Correct Answer- Chloride (Cl- )
GABA - Correct Answer- amino acid nt; inhibitory; receptors are ionotropic; allow Cl- into
the cell
,Glutamate - Correct Answer- nt amino acid; excitatory; many types of receptors; allow Na+
into the cell
An action potential signals the release of acetylcholine from the presynaptic neuron. It binds
the receptor which starts a second messenger cascade within the neuron, ultimately increasing
the number of synaptic connections with other neurons. What type of receptor is this? -
Correct Answer- Muscarinic and metabotropic
What is the ion distribution at rest? - Correct Answer- inside is negative relative to outside the
cell
somatic intervention - Correct Answer- manipulating the body may affect behavior
behavioral intervention - Correct Answer- manipulating behavior may affect the body/brain
correlation - Correct Answer- measure how closely the body and behavior measures covary
reductionism - Correct Answer- a method that breaks a system down into increasingly smaller
parts in order to understand it
levels of analysis - Correct Answer- the scope of an experimental approach, which ranges
from social interaction down to the molecular level
are animals needed in research - Correct Answer- yes
What are neurons? - Correct Answer- are structurally, metabolically, and functionally
independent
Information is transmitted from neuron to neuron across tiny gaps, called synapses
principal divisions of a neuron: - Correct Answer-
dendrites - Correct Answer- receive and process information from the environment or other
neurons. All of this information is collected in the soma, or cell body, where the neuron
, decides whether or not to transmit that signal along. If yes, the signal is transmitted down the
axon to the axon terminals, which synapse on other cells.
axon hillock - Correct Answer- Cone shaped region of an axon where it joins the cell body.
info intergrates here; decides whether the info is important enough to send (where soma and
axon meet)
Label a neuron - Correct Answer-
multipolar neuron - Correct Answer- A neuron with a single axon and multiple dendrites; the
most common type of neuron in the nervous system.
bipolar neurons - Correct Answer- common in sensory systems like vision; can also receive
info.
unipolar neuron - Correct Answer- transmit touch information to the spinal chord
structure reflects what - Correct Answer- function
glial cells - Correct Answer- provide support functions and participate in information
processing
myelin - Correct Answer- a fatty substance that helps insulate neurons and speeds the
transmission of nerve impulses
Oligodendrocytes - Correct Answer- Type of glial cell in the CNS that wrap axons in a myelin
sheath.
Schwann cells - Correct Answer- Type of glia in the PNS, Supporting cells of the peripheral
nervous system responsible for the formation of myelin.
Astrocytes - Correct Answer- Provide structural and metabolic support for neurons.