Physiological Psych - Exam One Quiz Questions

These are the answers (for the most part) to the in-class quiz questions

Where do neurons store neurotransmitters?

axon terminal buttons

Where is a multipolar neuron’s conduction zone?

In the axons, likely to be myelinated

Why are the nodes of Ranvier important to action potential conduction?

Because they’re unmyelinated, they contain dense clusters of voltage-gated sodium channels that regenerate action potential - allows for rapid and efficient transmission across long distances

To which automatic branch does the vagus nerve belong to?

parasympathetic branch

what comprises of a neuron’s input zone?

dendrite spines

True/False: Ions can only enter and leave myelinated axons at the nodes of Ranvier

True

What do the basal ganglia do?

plays a big role in motor control, cognitive (learning which behaviors are reinforced), affective, and motivational processes

which structure orchestrates homeostasis?

Hypothalamus

Where would damage in the brain require life support?

medulla oblongata and the pons (brainstem)

What recharges action potentials in myelinated axons?

Nodes of Ranvier; where sodium enters and potassium leaves because there is no myelin

which brain lobe processes touch?

parietal lobe

what lobe of the brain processes vision?

occipital lobe

which lobe of the brain processes hearing?

temporal lobe

what does the sodium-potassium pump do?

allows Na⁺ and K⁺ to be transported across the cell

resets the membrane potential, bringing it back to what it was before action potential

What typically happens when neurotransmitters activate autoreceptors?

regulates and monitors the levels of the receptors

Detects the presence of the neurotransmitter and makes the terminal button more negative than it normally is so it releases LESS neurotransmitters when it arrives

Why don’t we usually observe action potential in dendrites?

channels are too low in density and do not have voltage-gated sodium channels

opening which ion channels usually produces EPSPs?

sodium channels

What are ligands?

any substance that creates a permanent bond with a receptor

Can drugs serve as ligands?

yes

Can neurotransmitters serve as ligands?

yes

At metabolic receptors, what does an activated alpha-subunit target?

A second messenger system comes into play when an enzyme transforms an ion into a second messenger

(one of the targets is an enzyme, the other can be an ion channel)

What distinguishes a retrograde transmitter?

provides feedback to modulate neurotransmitter release, synaptic strength, and plasticity

are synthesized in response to activity/state of postsynaptic neuron

postsynaptic neuron synthesizes a molecule that then travels backward to the presynaptic neuron

can occur outside the neuron

describe the properties of electrical synaspses

They are fast because of the gap junctions, another way neurons communicate, bidirectional, exchanges charged ions, play important role in coordinating activity of neurons

What determines if a synapse is excitatory or inhibitory?

The particular neurotransmitter released by the presynaptic cell