Chapter 6 Neurobiology Quiz

The presence of which of the following compounds or proteins in a cell makes it quite likely that the cell is a GABAergic neuron?

a. Pyridoxal phosphate

b. Glutamic acid decarboxylase

c. GABA transaminase

d. γ-hydroxybutyrate

e. Glutamine

b. Glutamic acid decarboxylase

Peptide neurotransmitters are often released

a. shortly after their synthesis in presynaptic terminals.

b. as pre-propeptides.

c. as propeptides.

d. more readily and quickly than nonpeptide transmitters.

e. together with nonpeptide transmitters.

e. together with nonpeptide transmitters.

Listed below are the five steps in a nitric oxide (NO)-mediated signaling event.

1. Calcium binds to calmodulin

2. Activation of nitric oxide synthase

3. NO diffusion for tens of micrometers

4. Activation of guanylyl cyclase

5. Inactivation by reaction with oxygen.

Which of the following is the correct sequence of these steps?

1;2;3;4;5

The banded krait uses the neurotoxin _______ to paralyze its prey.

a. nicotine

b. muscarine

c. conotoxin

d. α-bungarotoxin

e. δ-tubocurarine

d. α-bungarotoxin

Which of the following is not a class of opioid peptides?

a. Dynorphins

b. Endorphins

c. Enkephalins

d. Endocannabinoids

e. All of the above are opioid peptides.

d. Endocannabinoids

Myasthenia gravis is characterized by

a. degeneration of lower motoneurons.

b. degeneration of upper motoneurons.

c. mutations affecting the synthesis of acetylcholine.

d. mutations affecting acetylcholine receptors.

e. an autoimmune attack on acetylcholine receptors.

e. an autoimmune attack on acetylcholine receptors.

Based upon the distribution of endocannabinoid receptors in the brain, it can be surmised that these compounds have a likely influence on

a. neocortex.

b. the hippocampus.

c. basal ganglia.

d. the hypothalamus.

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

Which of the following statements about EPSPs in the central nervous system is false?

a. They are much larger than end plate potentials.

b. EPSPs occurring close together in time can summate and help bring a neuron to threshold.

c. Multiple EPSPs arriving together at different locations on the dendritic tree can summate and help bring a neuron to threshold.

d. Their effect in the central nervous system can be nullified by IPSPs.

e. All of the above are false; none is true.

a. They are much larger than end plate potentials.

Which of the following receptor types can be modulated by both barbiturates and benzodiazepines?

a. GABAA

b. GABAB

c. GABAC

d. Glycine

e. Muscarinc ACh receptor

a. GABAA

One typically finds _______ subunits in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

a. two

b. three

c. five

d. seven

e. nine

c. five

Listed below are the enzymes needed to synthesize epinephrine (adrenaline).

1. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase

2. Tyrosine hydroxylase

3. Phenylethanolamine-

4. N-methyl transferase

DOPA decarboxylase.

Which of the following is the correct sequence of enzyme actions in the synthesis of epinephrine?

2;4;1;3

Excitotoxicity

a. can result from very brief (sub-millisecond) increases in glutamate levels.

b. can be prevented by administration of glutamate receptor antagonists after a stroke has been diagnosed.

c. has not been correlated with the potency of compounds at glutamatergic receptors.

d. can occur in some forms of epilepsy and head trauma.

e. has been linked to a specific intracellular signaling pathway that activates a family of excitotoxicity genes.

d. can occur in some forms of epilepsy and head trauma.

In terms of size, which of the following are the largest neurotransmitters?

a. Biogenic amines

b. Amino acid transmitters

c. Neuropeptide transmitters

d. Purinergic transmitters

e. Gaseous transmitters

c. Neuropeptide transmitters

Which of the following is not a feature of glutamate signaling systems?

a. The presence of multiple glutamate receptor families with different ionic selectivities

b. Voltage-dependent gating of certain types of glutamate receptor

c. The passage of large amounts of magnesium and calcium by NMDA receptors

d. The use of specialized proteins for loading glutamate into vesicles

e. The use of specialized proteins for removing glutamate from the synaptic cleft

c. The passage of large amounts of magnesium and calcium by NMDA receptors

Serotonin reuptake blockers such as fluoxetine (Prozac) are used clinically

a. to treat hypertension.

b. to treat panic disorders.

c. as antidepressants.

d. as antipsychotics.

e. to treat generalized anxiety.

c. as antidepressants

Acetylcholine is used as a neurotransmitter at

a. the neuromuscular junction.

b. preganglionic synapses of the autonomic (visceral motor) nervous system.

c. postganglionic synapses of the sympathetic nervous system.

d. widely distributed synapses in the central nervous system.

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

Cocaine acts

a. on GABAA receptors.

b. as an MAO inhibitor.

c. by blocking serotonin reuptake.

d. by blocking dopamine reuptake.

e. by blocking biogenic amine vesicular transporters.

d. by blocking dopamine reuptake.

Glutamate is

a. the most commonly used neurotransmitter in the brain.

b. neurotoxic at high concentrations.

c. a nonessential amino acid.

d. often synthesized from glial-synthesized glutamine.

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

Which of the following is not a catecholamine?

a. Dopamine

b. Histamine

c. Norepinephrine

d. Epinephrine

e. All of the above are catecholamines.

b. Histamine

The transmitter GABA excites immature cortical neurons because

a. immature GABA receptors pass more sodium than chloride.

b. immature GABA-receptive neurons have a more negative firing threshold than mature neurons.

c. immature GABA-receptive neurons express many Na+/K+/Cl- co-transporters.

d. immature GABA-receptive neurons express many K+/Cl- co-transporters.

e. the opening of GABA receptor channels tends to excite immature cortical networks because of the networks' wiring.

c. immature GABA-receptive neurons express many Na+/K+/Cl- co-transporters.

While the nature of adenosine's actions on central circuits is not well understood, adenosine is thought to have an inhibitory or relaxing effect because of which of the following observations?

a. Its presence in many inhibitory neurons

b. Its ability to block the reuptake of inhibitory transmitters

c. Its actions as a cofactor at glycine receptors

d. The consequences of xanthine (e.g., caffeine) blockade of adenosine receptors

e. The co-localization of adenosine with GABA in GABAergic synaptic vesicles

d. The consequences of xanthine (e.g., caffeine) blockade of adenosine receptors