Deck 3: Cells and Circuits

Question 1

The point at which one neuron's terminal contacts the next neuron's dendrite is the

A) soma.
B) axon.
C) dendrite.
D) synapse.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the statements about neuronal membranes is wrong?

A) They contain specialized ion channels.
B) They consist of two layers of phospholipids.
C) They are impermeable.
D) Their exterior is hydrophillic.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Because the cell membrane is permeable to some ions and relatively impermeable to others is why the neuron has

A) a membrane potential.
B) dendrites.
C) an axon.
D) mitochondria.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

One function of the ion channels in the neuronal membrane is to

A) selectively allow ions to enter or leave the neuron.
B) provide nutrients for the neuron.
C) synthesize neurotransmitters.
D) form an impermeable barrier.

Question 5

The ________ potential is the difference in electric charge inside and outside of the neuron.

A) action
B) resting
C) threshold
D) reversal

Question 6

__________ are charged molecules.

A) Ions
B) Neurotransmitters
C) Second messengers
D) G proteins

Question 7

Chloride ions are concentrated in the ______________ space fluid respectively.

A) intracellular
B) extracellular
C) extracellular and intracellular
D) hyperpolarized

Question 8

The varying distribution of ions inside and outside of the neuronal membrane determines the

A) electrical gradient.
B) concentration gradient.
C) repulsion.
D) the law of electrostatic repulsion.

Question 9

_______ would tend to move into the neuron based on both the electrical gradient and concentration gradient.

A) Chloride ions
B) Sodium ions
C) Potassium ions
D) Water

Question 10

_______ would tend to move into the neuron based on both the electrical gradient and concentration gradient.

A) Chloride ions
B) Calcium ions
C) Potassium ions
D) Water

Question 11

Approximately _______ of the neuron's metabolic resources are used to operate these the sodium-potassium pumps

A) 90%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 40%

Question 12

You go see a movie at mid-day to have the theater to yourself. To your dismay, a guy wearing a great deal of a foul cheap cologne sits next to you. You move a few seats away to escape the odor. You keep moving farther and farther from where the guy is sitting until the smell is tolerable. Your movement in seating illustrates the

A) electrical gradient.
B) release of neurotransmitters.
C) concentration gradient.
D) ion flux.

Question 13

While taking a final exam, you were concentrating so hard you left feeling exhausted. A very large share of the energy your brain expended during the exam was consumed by the __________ in your nervous system.

A) astrocytes
B) oligodendrocytes
C) sodium-potassium pumps
D) microglia

Question 14

_________________ are the neuron's means of transmitting information.

A) Depolarizations
B) Hyperpolarizations
C) Action potentials
D) Refractory potentials

Question 15

The term depolarization refers to

A) making the inside of a neuron less negative.
B) making the inside of a neuron more negative.
C) A weaker action potential.
D) changes in signal speed of myelinated axons.

Question 16

The term hyperpolarization refers to

A) making the inside of a neuron less negative.
B) making the inside of a neuron more negative.
C) a stronger action potential.
D) changes in signal speed of myelinated axons.

Question 17

If the depolarization arriving at the spike-initiation zone is sufficiently large, at least ________ or more, it reach the threshold and trigger an action potential.

A) 3mV
B) 5mV
C) 10mV
D) 15mV

Question 18

Local anesthetic drugs such as Xylocaine and Novocain work by blocking

A) sodium channels.
B) chloride channels.
C) potassium channels.
D) second messengers.

Question 19

A rapid change of the neuron's membrane potential from -70mV to +40mV and back is indicative of

A) neuronal injury.
B) the application of a local anesthetic.
C) multiple sclerosis.
D) an action potential.

Question 20

The neurotransmitter binds to a structure on the postsynaptic neuron called a

A) reuptake pump.
B) receptor.
C) neurotransmitter cleft
D) synaptic cleft.

Question 21

The neurotransmitter binds to a receptor site and

A) opens postsynaptic ion channels directly or indirectly via G-protein generated second messengers.
B) opens postsynaptic ion channels directly via G-proteins.
C) releases sodium ions from inside postsynaptic neurons.
D) initiates an action potential.

Question 22

Neurotransmitters that open postsynaptic ion channels directly do so by binding to________________.

A) ionotropic receptors
B) metabotropic receptors
C) astrocytes
D) a G-protein

Question 23

________________ synapses can alter the amount of neurotransmitter released across the synaptic cleft to the dendrite of a downstream neuron.

A) Axodendritic
B) Axosomatic
C) Axoaxonic
D) Axospinal

Question 24

The _________________ the axon, the ________________ the action potential.

A) thicker, slower
B) thicker, faster
C) longer, slower
D) thinner, faster

Question 25

The ___________ has a weaker blood-brain barrier to better detect food toxins which may cause illness.

A) amygdala
B) pons
C) area postrema
D) insula

Question 26

___________ formally defined the symptoms of epilepsy.

A) Andrew Huxley
B) Alan Hodgkin
C) John Hughlings Jackson
D) Von Economo

Question 27

The term ___________ refers to the transformation of a normal brain into a brain that supports seizures.

A) hyperpolarization.
B) hyperexcitability.
C) seizurbility.
D) epileptogenesis.

Question 28

Animal models suggest that the epilepsy sets a chain of events into motion that

A) hijack and strengthen excitatory neural networks.
B) inhibit the activation and expression of genes.
C) decrease activation of brain growth factors.
D) weaken the strength of excitatory neural networks.

Question 29

In individuals who are susceptible to seizures, environmental stimuli such ___________ induce a seizure.

A) intense pain.
B) strong odors.
C) rapidly changing lights.
D) sudden movements.

Question 30

___________ have been proposed to be located in the inferior frontal cortex.

A) Mirror neurons
B) Unipolar neurons
C) Spindle cells
D) Von Economo neurons

Question 31

Both mirror and von Economo neurons seem to be involved in

A) "gut feelings" and intuition.
B) facial recognition.
C) anticipating the actions of others.
D) sensory gating.

Question 32

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is known as a(n)

A) noninvasive imaging method.
B) neural network modeling tool.
C) noninvasive activity recording procedure.
D) perturbation technique

Question 33

Researchers have referred to the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a form of ___________.

A) electrolytic lesion
B) permanent lesion.
C) visualization of brain activity.
D) virtual lesion

Question 34

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to

A) not change their gaze durations between objects and people.
B) maintain eye contact with others.
C) not feel emotions.
D) have overactive mirror neurons.

Question 35

Inhibiting mirror neurons in a human could result in

A) difficulty imitating gestures or facial expressions.
B) difficulty standing.
C) difficulty walking.
D) difficulty processing visual input.

Question 36

A seizure could be caused by

A) pilocarpine.
B) serotonin.
C) γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA).
D) dopa decarboxylase.

Question 37

Kainic acid is a

A) convulsant drug.
B) neurotransmitter.
C) vitamin.
D) second messenger.

Question 38

How might dysfunctional oligodendrocytes be involved in depression?

A) By enveloping the terminals of neurons.
B) By consuming energy diverted away from neurons.
C) They normally secrete an enzyme that is critical for serotonin synthesis.
D) A reduction in myelin could cause a short-circuiting of action potentials.

Question 39

Which of the following glial cells may be involved in depression?

A) Schwann cells
B) Oligodendrocytes
C) Astrocytes
D) Microglia

Question 40

Thrombospondin acts as a

A) facilitator of synapse formation.
B) substitute for myelin.
C) neurotransmitter.
D) metabolic energy source.

Question 41

Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) require

A) the binding of a neurotransmitter to a ligand-gated channel
B) the binding of a neurotransmitter to a metabotropic receptor.
C) G-protein activation.
D) acetylcholine.

Question 42

Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) require

A) the binding of a neurotransmitter to a ligand-gated channel
B) the binding of a neurotransmitter to a metabotropic receptor.
C) G-protein activation.
D) acetylcholine.

Question 43

Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) result from

A) sodium ions entering the postsynaptic membrane.
B) potassium ions entering the postsynaptic membrane.
C) chloride ions entering the postsynaptic membrane.
D) G-protein activation.

Question 44

Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) result from

A) sodium ions entering the postsynaptic membrane.
B) potassium ions entering the postsynaptic membrane.
C) chloride ions entering the postsynaptic membrane.
D) G-protein activation.

Question 45

Otto Loewi's Vagusstoff (vagus stuff) was

A) acetylcholine.
B) norepinephrine.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) calcium.

Question 46

When Otto Loewi placed the solution surrounding a frog heart whose heartbeat had been altered by vagal nerve stimulation into a second container with another frog heart, why did the second frog heart change its heartbeat similarly?

A) The first heart had depleted the oxygen in the solution.
B) The first heart had released waste products into the solution.
C) The solution had been heated by the first heart's activity.
D) The solution contained neurotransmitters released by the vagal nerve stimulation.

Question 47

Why is losing myelin in multiple sclerosis so devastating?

A) A lack of sodium channels in the spaces previously occupied by the myelin halts action potentials.
B) The loss of myelin causes action potentials to move slower than they should.
C) The loss of myelin allows too much sodium to enter, overwhelming the sodium-potassium pump.
D) The loss of myelin allows too much potassium to enter, overwhelming the sodium-potassium pump.

Question 48

What determines how frequently an action potential can be generated?

A) The refractory period.
B) Internal sodium (Na⁺) levels
C) The number of voltage dependent ion channels.
D) None of the above options are correct.

Question 49

Neurons expend energy to actively transport which ion outside their membranes?

A) sodium (Na⁺)
B) calcium (Ca⁺⁺)
C) chloride (Cl^-)
D) potassium (K⁺)

Question 50

Which ion has the greatest influence on the resting membrane potential?

A) sodium (Na⁺)
B) calcium (Ca⁺⁺)
C) chloride (Cl^-)
D) potassium (K⁺)

Question 51

Rat pups whose mothers were merely housed with other rats that had endured physical restraint showed _____________ in their orbitofrontal cortex.

A) increased dendritic spine density but decreased dendritic length
B) increased dendritic spine density with increased dendritic length.
C) decreased dendritic spine density with decreased dendritic length
D) decreased dendritic spine density but increased dendritic length

Question 52

_____________ in pregnant rats can cause physical changes in the orbitofrontal cortex of their prenatal pup's brains.

A) Exercise
B) Physical restraint
C) Bystander stress
D) Social housing

Question 53

The exterior of a cell membrane is

A) hydrophobic.
B) hydrophillic
C) lipophillic.
D) impermeable.

Question 54

Who coined the term, "synapse"?

A) Charles Sherrington
B) Santiago Ramón y Cajal
C) Camillo Golgi
D) Andrew Huxley.

Question 55

Findings from the Iowa Gambling Task have shown that subjects with frontal lobe damage

A) have an autonomic reaction to risk before they are consciously aware of risk.
B) have an autonomic reaction to risk only after they are consciously aware of risk.
C) never show an anticipatory autonomic response to risk or avoid risk.
D) behaved identically to healthy, normal subjects.

Question 56

Findings from the Iowa Gambling Task have shown that healthy, normal subjects

A) are always consciously aware of the risks they are taking.
B) are in conscious control of their autonomic responses to risk.
C) have an autonomic reaction to risk before they are consciously aware of risk.
D) have an autonomic reaction to risk only after they are consciously aware of risk.

Question 57

The anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortical areas are the only two areas where _____________ neurons are found.

A) mirror neurons
B) unipolar neurons
C) von Economo
D) connexon

Question 58

Von Economo neurons are also known as

A) mirror neurons.
B) unipolar neurons.
C) spindle cells.
D) connexons.

Question 59

Protein structures which form pores in the neuronal cell membrane are called

A) gates.
B) ion channels.
C) phospholipid bilayers.
D) passages.

Question 60

Which ion has a higher concentration inside the cell than outside?

A) sodium (Na⁺)
B) calcium (Ca⁺⁺)
C) chloride (Cl^-)
D) Potassium (K⁺)

Question 61

The membrane potential that must be reached to trigger the opening of voltage-gated sodium (Na+) channels is the

A) spike potential.
B) initiation potential.
C) threshold.
D) depolarization potential.

Question 62

Voltage-gated ion channels open and close in response to

A) changes in the membrane potential.
B) changes in neurotransmitter binding.
C) changes in myelin coverage.
D) changes in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels.

Question 63

The spike-initiation zone is sometimes synonymous with the

A) axon hillock.
B) soma.
C) axon terminal.
D) dendritic spine.

Question 64

Action potentials originate from the

A) spike-initiation zone.
B) soma.
C) axon terminal.
D) dendritic spine.

Question 65

The release of neurotransmitters from the vesicles is known as

A) exocytosis.
B) emesis.
C) emission.
D) excitation.

Question 66

When the electrical signals from a single synapse firing rapidly and repetitively combine before they can each die out, the result is

A) an action potential.
B) a seizure.
C) temporal summation.
D) spatial summation.

Question 67

When the separate electrical signals combine from multiple distant synapses across a neuron, the result is

A) an action potential.
B) transmitter release.
C) temporal summation.
D) spatial summation.

Question 68

Synaptogenesis refers to the

A) creation of synapses.
B) release of neurotransmitter into a chemical synapse.
C) microglia clearing debris from the site of brain injury.
D) activation of astrocytes.

Question 69

Electrical synapses depend upon the proper alignment of

A) presynaptic terminals and postsynaptic dendrites.
B) the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
C) connexons to form gap junctions.
D) astrocytes and neurons.

Question 70

Electrical synapses are responsible for

A) the fight-or-flight response.
B) The exchange of electrical currents between two adjacent neurons.
C) release of neurotransmitters from presynaptic to postsynaptic neurons.
D) sending neural messages across long distances.

Question 71

Epileptic seizures

A) strengthen inhibitory brain networks.
B) raise levels of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA).
C) decrease activity of brain growth factors.
D) strengthen excitatory brain networks.

Question 72

Drugs used to treat epilepsy increase the levels of

A) dopamine (DA).
B) serotonin (5-HT).
C) γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA).
D) pain tolerance.

Question 73

Mirror neurons respond to

A) mirror-reversed images of one's own face.
B) the observed actions of others.
C) unexpected sounds or sensations.
D) emotional facial expressions.

Question 74

One rationale for studying mirror neurons in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is

A) imitation deficits in children with ASD.
B) balance deficits in children with ASD.
C) sensory deficits in children with ASD.
D) visual processing deficits in children with ASD

Question 75

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is most successfully treated by

A) stimulant drugs.
B) applied behavior analysis.
C) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
D) antidepressants.

Question 76

Which technique can cause temporary disruption of brain activity?

A) Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
B) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
C) Positron emission tomography (PET)
D) Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS

Question 77

Neurotransmitters are released from the axon terminals.

Question 78

Neurotransmitters are released from the dendritic spines.

Question 79

The activity of EPSPs can be canceled by activity of IPSPs.

Question 80

Spatial summation only applies to EPSPs.