Exam 3 Terms

Question 1

Increase in the number of receptors or vesicles full of neurotransmitter, greater size of synapse, along with other structural features are all mechanisms for strengthening a synapse

Answer 1

Synaptic strengthening

Question 2

Simultaneous activation of cells leads to pronounced increases in synaptic strength between those cells; neurons that fire together wire together

Neuronal circuits can change over time; changes can be structural (size of synapse/number of receptors) and function (strength of signal at synapse)

Answer 2

Hebbian Learning

Question 3

Small membranous protrusion from a neuron’s dendrite that typically receives input from a single synapse of an axon

Dendritic spine number is increased in autism, decreased after adolescence in schizophrenia and decreased in late adulthood with Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 3

Dendritic spine

Question 4

Reduction in firing of a neuron over time despite a constant input

Answer 4

Adaptation

Question 5

Firing of a neuron decreases over time due to the repetition of an input

Answer 5

Habituation

Question 6

Increase in the firing of a neuron over time in response to a constant input

Answer 6

Facilitation

Question 7

Firing of a neuron increases over time due to the repetition of an input; opposites of adaptation and habituation respectively

Answer 7

Sensitization

Question 8

When an association between two stimuli or a behavior and a stimulus is learned

Answer 8

Associative learning

Question 9

Extracellular deposits of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides in the gray matter of the brain and are the primary marker of Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 9

Senile plaques or amyloid plaques

Question 10

Intracellular aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein that are most commonly known as a marker of Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 10

Neurofibrillary tangle

Question 11

Enzyme that phosphorylates other proteins switching them on or off

Answer 11

Kinase

Question 12

Intracellular aggregates of protein notably α-synuclein that occur in Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia

Answer 12

Lewy Body

Question 13

Membrane protein found mainly in neurons that gives rise to the material in amyloid plaques (Aβ)

Answer 13

Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP)

Question 14

Persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity

Answer 14

Long Term Potentiation (LTP)

Question 15

Persistent weakening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity

Answer 15

Long Term Depression (LTD)

Question 16

Ligand-dependent AND voltage-sensitive ionotropic glutamate receptor; allows Ca++ ions into the neuron only if both the glutamate ligand and membrane depolarization are present; Mg++ ion blocks the channel when inactive

Resting membrane potential (-70 mV), effects that neuronal depolarization (less negative/closer to zero) and hyperpolarization (more negative) have in terms of numerical values; threshold of -55 mV is usually when action potential is triggered

Answer 16

NMDA Receptor (NMDAR)

Question 17

Inputs nudge neuron towards or away from an action potential

Answer 17

McCullough Pitts Neuron

Question 18

Single input from any one dendrite is enough to trigger action potential

Answer 18

OR Function

Question 19

Multiple inputs are required for an action potential (technically all inputs but this is rare in real life)

Answer 19

AND Function

Question 20

ImpIantation of a electrode or device to deliver electrical stimulation to a region effectively inactivating the region

• Parkinson’s disease: Globus palidus and other regions
• Multiple sclerosis: Thalamus

Answer 20

Deep Brain Stimulation

Question 21

Uses x-rays from many different angles and a computer to build up an image of the brain or body

Answer 21

Computerized Tomography (CT) scan

Question 22

Ruptured blood vessel in the brain

Answer 22

Hemorrhagic stroke

Question 23

Blocked blood vessel in brain

Answer 23

Ischemic stroke

Question 24

Facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, time to call 9-11

Answer 24

FAST

Question 25

Blood vessel that branches from a surface artery and projects into the brain

Astrocytes make broad contacts with blood vessels
Glial cells respond to neurotransmitters too, leading to uptake of oxygen, water and glucose from an arteriole or capillary

Answer 25

Penetrating arteriole

Question 26

Combination of endothelial cells and astrocytes acting as a filter allowing only certain substances to pass from the blood into the brain

Answer 26

Blood brain barrier

Question 27

Massive magnets align water molecules in your body, radio wave pulses used to map structures

Answer 27

MRI

Question 28

Differentiates between oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin

Answer 28

fMRI

Question 29

Measure of neuron activity in a region

Answer 29

Voxel

Question 30

Sensory neurons that measure internal forces such as tension especially in muscles

Answer 30

Proprioceptive neuron

Question 31

Tendency to prefer visual input from one eye or the other

Answer 31

Ocular dominance

Question 32

Arise as the axons from each eye group together in the visual cortex

Answer 32

Ocular dominance columns

Question 33

Brain is highly responsive to inputs, particularly environmental stimuli

Answer 33

Critical period