Deck 2: Communication Within the Nervous System

Question 1

Which of the following is true of sensory neurons?

A) Sensory neurons control muscles and produce movement.
B) Sensory neurons gather information from the environment and convey it into the central nervous system.
C) Sensory neurons have cell bodies covered with myelin.
D) Sensory neurons send messages away from the brain toward the periphery.

Answer 1

Sensory neurons gather information from the environment and convey it into the central nervous system.

Question 2

Which of the following is a true statement about neuron type?

A) Sensory neurons are typically mutlipolar.
B) Sensory neurons are typically unipolar or bipolar.
C) Motor neurons are typically uniploar.
D) Motor neurons are typically bipolar.

Answer 2

Sensory neurons are typically unipolar or bipolar.

Question 3

Which of the statements about cell membranes is correct?

A) Many millennia ago, they were free-living single-celled organisms.
B) They extend between multiple neurons.
C) They contain specialized protein channels.
D) They are primarily made up of calcium.

Answer 3

They contain specialized protein channels.

Question 4

Which of the following is true about the lipids that compose the cell membrane?

A) The "heads" are in contact with extracellular and intracellular fluid and the "tails" are oriented away from these fluids.
B) The "tails" are in contact with extracellular and intracellular fluid and the "heads" are oriented away from these fluids.
C) Half of all "heads" and "tails" are in contact with extracellular fluid.
D) Both "heads" and "tails" are in contact with intracellular fluid.

Question 5

One function of the specialized protein channels in a cell membrane is to ______.

A) form an impermeable barrier to all substances foreign to the cell
B) package neurotransmitters
C) provide oxygen and nutrients for the cell
D) selectively allow substances to enter or leave the cell

Question 6

Which of the following is true of the resting membrane potential?

A) It is a function of positively charged ions concentrated inside the cell.
B) It is positive inside with respect to outside.
C) It is the result of a freely permeable membrane.
D) It is the difference in electrical charge inside and outside the inactive neuron.

Question 7

Which of the following is true of both chloride ions and anions?

A) They are both concentrated in the extracellular fluid.
B) They are both concentrated in the intracellular fluid.
C) They both carry a positive charge.
D) They both carry a negative charge.

Question 8

______ are concentrated primarily outside of the neuron, in the extracellular fluid, which contributes to the negative resting membrane potential of neurons.

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

Question 9

When making dinner, you add salt to a pot of boiling water. At first, the salt remains in one spot, but eventually spreads throughout the water due to the ______.

A) electrostatic pressure
B) different polarizations of the water
C) force of diffusion
D) cell membrane

Question 10

During a neuron's resting state, channels for potassium and sodium ions are ______.

A) closed
B) open
C) selectively open
D) not gated

Question 11

The sodium-potassium pump forces sodium ions ______ and potassium ions into the cell.

A) out of the cell
B) into the cell
C) into the membrane
D) into the nucleus

Question 12

Which of the following can prompt an electrically gated ion channel in the cell membrane to open?

A) activity of the sodium-potassium pump
B) one additional ion entering the cell
C) one ion leaving the cell
D) a change in the electrical potential of the membrane

Question 13

______ gated ion channels open and close based on the presence of neurotransmitters or hormones.

A) Electrically
B) Chemically
C) Specially
D) Diffusion

Question 14

Which of the following is true of local potential but not action potential?

A) It is decremental.
B) It results from a depolarization of the cell membrane.
C) It results from a hyperpolarization of the cell membrane.
D) It is the result of electrically gated ion channels in the axon.

Question 15

The change in electrical charge from -70 mV to the peak of the action potential is due to ______.

A) inflow of chloride ions
B) inflow of potassium ions
C) inflow of sodium ions
D) outflow of sodium ions

Question 16

The change in electrical charge from the peak of +30 or +40 mV back to -70 mV is due to ______.

A) outflow of sodium ions
B) outflow of potassium ions
C) inflow of potassium ions
D) inflow of chloride ions

Question 17

What ionic movement is responsible for pulling the membrane potential back to a negative voltage during an action potential?

A) Sodium ions move into the cell.
B) Potassium ions move into the cell.
C) Protein anions move out of the cell.
D) Potassium ions move out of the cell.

Question 18

Which of the following is a true statement about what occurs when an axon transmits an action potential?

A) Electricity flows from one end of the axon to the other.
B) Nothing physically moves down the axon.
C) Neurochemicals flow from one end of the axon to the other.
D) The sodium-potassium pump pushes ions down the axon.

Question 19

A neuron's cell membrane could become positive through either an inflow of positive ions or an outflow of negative ions. Why is the inflow of positive ions the most logical method for this depolarization?

A) There are already too many protein anions outside of the cell.
B) There are already too many chloride ions outside of the cell.
C) There are too few potassium ions inside of the cell.
D) The potassium ions are kept out of the cell by the sodium-potassium pump.

Question 20

Which of the following is true of action potentials in axons?

A) Only one action potential is generated to produce a depolarization along an entire axon.
B) Only two action potentials are generated to produce depolarization along an entire axon.
C) Many action potentials are generated next to each other along the length of an axon.
D) Action potentials are generated at the beginning, middle, and end of an axon only.

Question 21

Following an action potential, the _____ returns the ions to their resting state concentrations.

A) diffusion gradient
B) sodium-potassium pump
C) action potential
D) resting membrane potential

Question 22

Which of the following would be a consequence of the sodium-potassium pump being inactivated?

A) Too many potassium ions would accumulate inside the cell.
B) Too many sodium ions would accumulate outside of the cell.
C) Too many chloride ions would accumulate inside the cell.
D) Action potentials would not be able to be generated.

Question 23

Which property of action potentials results in their ability to transmit information over long distances?

A) Action potentials are decremental.
B) Action potentials do not become smaller as they occur down the length of an axon.
C) Action potentials are graded.
D) Action potentials only occur if a threshold level of depolarization is reached.

Question 24

Intensity of a stimulus, such as the intensity of noise that a person experiences, can be communicated through ______.

A) the size of an action potential
B) the length of the axon an action potential travels along
C) the number of neurons that fire action potentials
D) the speed at which the action potential occurs

Question 25

Most local anesthetics result in numbness because they block sodium channels in cell membranes. What impact does this blocking have on the activity of nerve cells?

A) There is no impact.
B) Action potentials cannot occur because the membrane cannot fully depolarize.
C) Action potentials cannot occur because the membrane remains hyperpolarized.
D) The nerve cell dies.

Question 26

Which statement characterizes the relative refractory period?

A) The neuron cannot fire again because the potassium channels are unable to open.
B) The neuron cannot fire again because the sodium channels are unable to open.
C) The neuron can fire again but only to a stronger-than-threshold stimulus.
D) The neuron can fire again but only at a much slower rate.

Question 27

Which of the following is an implication of the absolute refractory period?

A) This limits how often action potentials can occur.
B) This limits the intensity of a stimulus that can be processed by a neuron.
C) This limits the speed at which hyperpolarization can occur during an action potential.
D) This limits the amount of sodium that can leave a neuron.

Question 28

Many people are concerned about eating too much salt, yet table salt (sodium chloride) plays which important role in your nervous system?

A) It holds nerve cells together.
B) It prevents neuron decay.
C) It stimulates the neurons for taste, but not in other areas of the nervous system.
D) It breaks down into ions that are needed for neuron signaling.

Question 29

One property of action potentials is that they move in one direction down the axons of neurons. This occurs due to the ______.

A) electrostatic pressure
B) rate of diffusion
C) relative refractory period
D) absolute refractory period

Question 30

What reduces the chances of an action potential being fired during the relative refractory period?

A) The neuron's membrane is slightly more negative than at rest.
B) The neuron's membrane is slightly closer to zero than at rest.
C) The sodium channels remain open.
D) There is not sufficient potassium outside of the neuron.

Question 31

You awake to your phone ringing. What will need to be true of the next stimulus in your environment if it is going to be detectable to you?

A) The next stimulus must be weaker than your phone ringing.
B) The next stimulus must occur through a different sense (such as sight).
C) The next stimulus must be strong enough to overcome a slightly hyperpolarized membrane if it occurs immediately following the ringing phone.
D) The next stimulus must occur at least five minutes after the phone ringing.

Question 32

Which nervous system cells got their name for one of their previously believed roles, to hold neurons together?

A) anions
B) glia
C) soma
D) mitochondria

Question 33

You have been given the task of designing an animal that needs to have an efficient nervous system, and the animal can be no larger than a human. What feature can you include in the animal's nervous system to ensure that it can respond quickly to its environment?

A) very short axons
B) very long axons
C) very wide axons
D) myelinated axons

Question 34

Which of the following statements about neuronal conduction in myelinated neurons is correct?

A) Myelinated axons use saltatory conduction.
B) Myelination is a less efficient way to increase conduction speed than increasing the width of axons.
C) Myelin is only found on neurons in the brain.
D) Thicker myelination on axons results in a slower conduction of action potentials.

Question 35

Which of the following is true about the action potential in a myelinated neuron?

A) The action potential jumps from synapse to synapse.
B) The action potential travels faster than in an unmyelinated neuron.
C) The action potential travels more slowly than in an unmyelinated neuron.
D) The action potential is conducted down to the uninsulated parts of the dendrites.

Question 36

Which of the following is true about oligodendrocytes?

A) These are the least common glial cells in the brain.
B) These are the most common glial cells in the brain.
C) These are found exclusively in the nervous system outside of the brain.
D) These perform the function of removing waste from the nervous system.

Question 37

Which part of the neuron works less due to myelination reducing the places where sodium can enter a neuron?

A) the cell membrane
B) the axon
C) the sodium-potassium pump
D) the dendrites

Question 38

The disorder multiple sclerosis results in destruction of myelin. Why do people with this disorder experience motor and sensory disturbances?

A) Their nerve cells die off.
B) Their axons are too thin.
C) Their neurons lose the ability to send signals.
D) Their nodes of Ranvier become enlarged.

Question 39

Which of the following is true of glial cells?

A) They guide new neurons in fetal development.
B) They can function like motor neurons.
C) There are fewer glia than neurons in the brain.
D) They only exist outside of the brain.

Question 40

Which of the following is a type of glia that helps new neurons reach their final destination in the brain?

A) Schwann cells
B) astrocytes
C) microglia
D) radial glia

Question 41

The gap between two adjacent neurons was first observed by ______.

A) Golgi
B) Ranvier
C) Cajal
D) Loewi

Question 42

Signals are sent from ______ neurons.

A) postsynaptic
B) presynaptic
C) motor
D) unmyelinated

Question 43

What experiment did Loewi perform to show that most synapses are chemical?

A) He dissected the brains of patients who had suffered strokes.
B) He altered the heart rate in frogs by bathing one heart in the chemical solution he collected from another heart.
C) He applied electricity to frogs' legs to animate them.
D) He measured the speed at which neurons sent electrical signals and compared that to the speed of electrical current in a wire.

Question 44

Which of the following is the order of events that prompts release of neurotransmitters into the synapse?

A) An action potential reaches the axon terminals, vesicles fuse with cell membrane, calcium ions enter the terminals, vesicles fuse with cell membrane, neurotransmitter is released.
B) Calcium ions enter the terminals, an action potential reaches the axon terminals, vesicles fuse with cell membrane, neurotransmitter is released.
C) Vesicles fuse with cell membrane, an action potential reaches the axon terminals, calcium ions enter the terminals, neurotransmitter is released.
D) An action potential reaches the axon terminals, calcium ions enter the terminals, vesicles fuse with cell membrane, neurotransmitter is released.

Question 45

Which of the following is true of the axon terminals of neurons?

A) They supply the cell with nutrients and oxygen.
B) They release neurotransmitters from vesicles.
C) The provide insulation to the cell.
D) They send electrical impulses.

Question 46

Which of the following is prompted by a neurotransmitter docking with a receptor site?

A) Ionic exchanges are induced between neurons.
B) An action potential is initiated.
C) Ion channels open, directly or indirectly.
D) Ion channels fuse with the cell membrane.

Question 47

______ indirectly result in ion channels opening following binding of neurotransmitter.

A) Ionotropic receptors
B) Metabotropic receptors
C) Calcium ions
D) Chloride channels

Question 48

Immediate reactions are prompted by neurotransmitter binding at a(n) ______.

A) ionotropic receptor
B) metabotropic receptor
C) calcium ion
D) chloride channel

Question 49

You are about to cross the road when suddenly you see a truck speeding toward you. This type of information should be processed by ______ in order to ensure that you respond quickly.

A) inhibitory signals
B) action potentials
C) metabotropic receptors
D) ionotropic receptors

Question 50

Brian is studying for the licensing exam to become a social worker. He needs to retain the information from that exam for many years to be effective at his job. In order for that to occur, this information should be processed by ______.

A) inhibitory signals
B) action potentials
C) metabotropic receptors
D) ionotropic receptors

Question 51

While action potentials provide simple all-or-none responses, synapses have responses that are ______.

A) faster
B) less variable
C) constant
D) more complex

Question 52

Excitatory postsynaptic signals result in partial depolarization, while inhibitory postsynaptic signals result in ______.

A) hyperpolarization
B) hypopolarization
C) an increased chance of an action potential occurring
D) a cell's membrane becoming closer to zero in charge

Question 53

If the resting potential of a membrane were to change from ?70 mV to ?65 mV, this would be ______.

A) hyperpolarization
B) an action potential
C) part of an EPSP
D) part of an IPSP

Question 54

Most neurons fire spontaneously. IPSPs ______ the rate of firing.

A) increase
B) decrease
C) have no impact on
D) speed up

Question 55

What is one function of hyperpolarization in the nervous system?

A) This serves to stimulate action potentials.
B) This serves to excite neurons.
C) This serves to keep excitatory signals in check.
D) This serves to provide continued firing of neurons, regardless of the stimuli.

Question 56

Which of the following is one reason why chemical signals sent through the synapse lead to greater complexity than the signals of action potentials?

A) Chemical signals at the synapse are all-or-none events.
B) Chemical signals sent through the synapse can be either excitatory or inhibitory.
C) Chemical signals always result in hypopolarization.
D) Chemical signals always result in hyperpolarization.

Question 57

Which of the following influences the rate at which a neuron fires?

A) the number of terminals of nearby interneurons
B) the number of postsynaptic receptors on this neuron
C) the number of autoreceptors on this neuron
D) the relative strength of excitatory and inhibitory inputs it receives

Question 58

A typical neuron in the brain receives input from how many other neurons?

A) 1,000
B) 10,000
C) 100,000
D) 1,000,000

Question 59

Kerry wanted her son Alex to clean up his room for several days. Frustrated from the lack of response from Alex, she started asking him to clean his room every 3 minutes. Finally, he cleaned up his room because he didn't want to hear his mother's repeated requests anymore. His response is analogous to the process of ______ at axon hillocks.

A) temporal summation
B) spatial summation
C) neural propagation
D) all-or-none law

Question 60

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used to treat depression and have which effect on the nervous system?

A) They increase the availability of serotonin at the synapse.
B) They decrease the amount of serotonin in a synapse.
C) They increase reuptake of serotonin.
D) They synthesize more serotonin.

Question 61

Which of the following is true of antidepressant MAO inhibitors?

A) MAO inhibitors reduce the activity of depressants.
B) MAO inhibitors increase the amount of monoamine oxidase in the synapse.
C) MAO inhibitors increase the amount of degrading enzymes in the synapse.
D) MAO inhibitors increase the amount of serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine in the synapse.

Question 62

Axodendritic synapses result in hypopolarization or hyperpolarization of a neuron, while ______ synapses increase or decrease the release of neurotransmitter into the synapse.

A) axoaxonic
B) presynaptic
C) axosomatic
D) postsynaptic

Question 63

An autoreceptor alters the output of ______.

A) the postsynaptic neuron
B) the presynaptic neuron
C) the sodium-potassium pump
D) the sodium channels

Question 64

What function of glial cells shows why they should be considered "active partners in neural transmission"?

A) Glial cells repair damaged neurons.
B) Glial cells myelinate axons in the central nervous system.
C) Glial cells myelinate axons in the peripheral nervous system.
D) Glial cells release gliotransmitters into the synapse.

Question 65

Muscles contain ______ receptors.

A) excitatory nicotinic
B) excitatory muscarinic
C) inhibitory nicotinic
D) inhibitory muscarinic

Question 66

Which of the following is true about neurotransmitters?

A) Neurotransmitters are either universally excitatory or universally inhibitory.
B) Each neurotransmitter has one receptor type at which it binds.
C) Every neurotransmitter can be both inhibitory and excitatory.
D) Neurotransmitters can have different effects on postsynaptic neurons depending on which receptor they bind to.

Question 67

Dale's principle, a recently discounted theory about synaptic function, stated that a neuron ______.

A) never responded to its own autoreceptors
B) released multiple neurotransmitters
C) only released a single neurotransmitter
D) could be either electrical or chemical at its synapses

Question 68

Presynaptic neurons can release multiple neurotransmitters at different times through the process of ______, in which vesicles containing different neurotransmitters have different levels of sensitivity to calcium.

A) corelease
B) reuptake
C) cotransmission
D) autoreceptors

Question 69

Contrary to Dale's principle, presynaptic neurons show a great deal of flexibility in releasing different neurotransmitters from different ______.

A) coreleases
B) axon terminals
C) dendritic spines
D) somas

Question 70

Harry came home to find his brother unconscious from an overdose of hydrocodone. When the paramedics arrived, they administered naloxone, because this drug is an opiate ______.

A) agonist
B) antagonist
C) synthetic
D) enzyme

Question 71

Smoking cigarettes can impact a person's mood and behavior because an active ingredient in cigarettes acts as a(n) ______ at a receptor for acetylcholine.

A) enzyme
B) gliotransmitter
C) antagonist
D) agonist

Question 72

By stimulating taste pathways in the brains of rats who were not exposed to sucrose but using firing patterns of neurons that were recorded from rats who were drinking a sucrose solution, researchers determined that ______.

A) neural firing patterns are random
B) neural firing patterns can encode visual but not taste stimuli
C) neural firing patterns can encode taste stimuli
D) neurons do not synchronize their firing rates

Question 73

Which of the following is true of the firing patterns of neurons?

A) Neurons can fire action potentials with varying intervals between spikes.
B) The firing patterns of neurons contain no information.
C) The firing patterns of neurons account for all of the complexity that is seen in brain communication.
D) Neurons do not fire action potentials in patterns.

Question 74

Which of the following is an accurate statement about neural networks?

A) Neural networks have not been found to exist in the brain.
B) Neural networks are made up of only sensory neurons.
C) Neural networks are responsible for a lot of the processing that is done in the brain.
D) Neural networks must be made of neurons that are distributed throughout many brain regions.

Question 75

All neurotransmitters have an excitatory effect on postsynaptic neurons.

Question 76

Reuptake and inactivation are two mechanisms that prolong synaptic responses.

Question 77

The signal sent to neurons via the synapse can only be influenced by the amount and type of neurotransmitter that is released by the presynaptic neuron.

Question 78

Dale's principle has been disproven through scientific investigations of the nervous system.

Question 79

Identify the principal structures of a neuron and describe the functions of each.

Question 80

Explain the two forces that produce the resting membrane potential.