Cell Biology & Neurophysiology

Question 1

What houses the insides of a cell?

Answer 1

• Semipermeable, lipid bilayer, plasma membrane

- Comprised of lipids, phosphate heads, and fatty acids

Question 2

What is the purpose of the proteins in this housing?

Answer 2

• Connection of extra- and intracellular works to:
  
  • Stabilize the cell membrane
  • Anchoring cell membrane to adjacent cells
  • Selective transport of ions and other large molecules
  • Cellular motility
  • Communication

Question 3

How does a cell nucleus transport peptides or lipids?

Answer 3

• Peptides or lipids are manufactured in the ER
• There they are modified and folded
• Those that are properly folded are transported to the cis of the Golgi apparatus
• More modifications take place as the peptides or lipid pass from the cis to medial to trans Golgi
• At the trans Golgi apparatus, the peptides or lipids are packaged into vesicles and then sent to target sites

Question 4

What do mitochondria do?

Answer 4

-Power the cell with the generation of ATP

Question 5

What is a neuron?

Answer 5

• Basic cell of the nervous system
• Communication with muscles, glands, glial cells, etc. about the status of the body’s internal environment
• If a change is noticed, neurons send out signals to restore the internal environment to its homeostatic status

Question 6

What are the 4 zones of a neuron?

Answer 6

• Input zone: dendrites
• Action zone: soma, cell body, axon hillock
• Transmission zone: axon
• Output zone: telodendria

Question 7

An increase in discharge probability is what kind of input? Decrease?

Answer 7

• Increase: excitatory

- Decrease: inhibitory

Question 8

Axons are covered in what? Why?

Answer 8

• Myelin shealth

- Prevent the diffusion of ions across the cell wall to speed up the conduction of APs down the axon

Question 9

What is a synapse?

Answer 9

-Area between two neurons, comprised of terminal boutons, synaptic cleft, and membrane of the next neuronal cell

Question 10

How do the short lived mini-potentials generate an action potential?

Answer 10

-When IPSPs and EPSPs temporarily add up, creating a depolarization near a neuron’s axon hillock, an AP is triggered

Question 11

Describe the voltage and transfer of chemicals in an action potential.

Answer 11

• When IPSPs and EPSPs temporarily add up, creating a depolarization near a neuron’s axon hillock, an AP is triggered
• Ion channels open up, rapid influx of K+ into the negatively charged HCs
• Spike in voltage (AP)
• Positive ion channels then open so the K+ ions can leave the cell
• Voltage drops down below the resting potential and then returns back to resting potential