Neurons and Synapses

Question 1

the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and the developmental mechanism of behavior
and experience

Answer 1

Biological Psychology

Question 2

three biological systems that we are going to consider as responsible for feeling, thinking, and acting, and directing the activities of the body

Answer 2

the neural system, nervous system, and endocrine system

Question 3

Spanish histologist
proved that each nerve cell is an
independent entity; father of Neuron Theory

Answer 3

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934)

Question 4

Neuron is from the Greek word

Answer 4

nevronas meaning sinew, cord, nerve

Question 5

cells that are specialized for the reception, conduction, and transmission of electrochemical signals.

Answer 5

Neuron

Question 6

It is when the cell’s dendrites and axon are entirely contained
within a single structure.

Answer 6

Interneuron

Question 7

carries information away from a structure

Answer 7

Motor neuron

Question 8

The receiver of sensory input, is highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation, such as light, sound, or touch.

Answer 8

Sensory neurons

Question 9

It is a neuron with two
processes extending
from its cell body, one dendrite and one axon.
(located in eyes, ear, nose)

Answer 9

Bipolar

Question 10

It is a neuron with one process extending from its cell body which together comprise an axon (sensory neurons, located in the ganglia)

Answer 10

Unipolar

Question 11

It is a neuron with
many processes from
the cell body; many dendrites and one axon (located in the brain and spinal cord)

Answer 11

Multipolar

Question 12

It is a tiny, brief “spike” of electricity traveling through a neuron.

Answer 12

Nerve Impulse

Question 13

In the absence of any stimulation or when the neuron is not currently receiving or sending messages, the membrane potential is at rest.

Answer 13

Resting potential

Question 14

in the presence of stimulation or when a neuron is receiving messages sent by the axon, it decreases the negativity of charge inside the membrane, reducing its polarization toward zero (Depolarization), or from negative to positive.

Answer 14

Action potential

Question 15

After an action potential occurs at a node, sodium ions enter the axon and diffuse, pushing a chain of positive charge along the axon to the next node, or the action potential “jump” from node to node where they regenerate it

Answer 15

Saltatory Conduction

Question 16

At the peak of action potential, an absolute refractory period occurs where the axon resists the
production of further action potentials regardless of the stimulation, and the sodium ion channel is shut up.

Answer 16

Refractory Period

Question 17

introduced the term synapse; shed light on knee-jerk reflex

Answer 17

Charles Scott Sherrington (1857–1952)

Question 18

Synapse is from the Greek terms

Answer 18

“syn-” (together) and
“haptein” (to clasp).

Question 19

Synapse properties

Answer 19

Speed of Conduction
Temporal Summation
Inhibitory Synapses
Spatial Summation

Question 20

Reflexes are slower than conduction along an axon.

Answer 20

Speed of conduction

Question 21

repeated stimuli within a brief time have a cumulative effect; several weak stimuli presented at nearby places or times produce a stronger reflex than one stimulus alone does.

Answer 21

Temporal
Summation

Question 22

a combination of excitations produced an action potential

Answer 22

Spatial Summation

Question 23

when one set of muscles becomes excited, a different set becomes relaxed. When one is excited, it produces inhibition to the opposite one, thus, it balances its position.

Answer 23

Inhibitory Synapses

Question 24

the membrane of one neuron comes into direct contact with the membrane
of another

Answer 24

Electrical Synapse

Question 25

a gap between two neurons where information passes chemically, in the form of neurotransmitter molecules

Answer 25

Chemical Synapse

Question 26

it is the process by which one neuron communicates with another; the workings of psychoactive drugs
in the synapse that affects the nervous system of the user.

Answer 26

Synaptic transmission

Question 27

two major types of nerve cells in the human brain

Answer 27

Neuron and glia

Question 28

It is a Greek word for “tree”; these branching fibers receive signals from other cells.

Answer 28

Dendrites

Question 29

It is a Greek word for “body”; plural: so- mata; it contains the nucleus, ribosomes, and mitochondria responsible biochemical processes and integration of synaptic input before transmitting the signal by the axon.

Answer 29

Cell body, or soma

Question 30

It is a Greek word for for “axis”; it is a thin fiber of constant diameter, conveys an impulse toward other neurons, an organ, or a muscle

Answer 30

Axon

Question 31

it is the axon’s insulating material

Answer 31

Myelin Sheath

Question 32

it facilitates the rapid conduction of nerve impulses.

Answer 32

Nodes of Ranvier (RAHN-vee-ay)

Question 33

It is a French word for “button”. It is also known as an end bulb or bouton),where the axon releases chemicals that cross through the junction between that neuron and another cell.

Answer 33

Presynaptic terminal

Question 33

the receiver of sensory input, is highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation, such as light, sound, or touch; an afferent (letter “a” as admit) axon brings information to the interneuron; these are unipolar neurons.

Answer 33

Sensory neurons

Question 34

It is when the cell’s dendrites and axon are entirely contained within a single structure; it connects the sensory neuron to motor neuron by transmitting the information; these are multipolar neurons.

Answer 34

Interneuron or intrinsic neuron

Question 35

Usually, its soma is located in the spinal cord; it receives excitation through its dendrites and conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle. an efferent axon carries information away from a structure; efferent starts with e as in exit; these neurons are multipolar neurons.

Answer 35

Motor neuron

Question 36

the receiving and sending of electrochemical signals throughout the nervous system

Answer 36

Nerve Impulse

Question 37

carries positive electrical charges

Answer 37

sodium ions and potassium ions

Question 38

stimulated the heart of a frog with electrical impulses and had it pump a small amount of nutrient solution

Answer 38

Otto Loewi (1921)

Question 39

At a synapse, a neuron releases chemical that affect another neuron.

Answer 39

Neurotransmitters

Question 40

Neurons synthesize nearly all neurotransmitters from amino acids, which the body obtains from proteins in the diet.

Answer 40

Synthesis of Transmitters

Question 41

Most neurotransmitters are synthesized in the presynaptic terminal, near the point of release. The presynaptic terminal stores high concentrations of neurotransmitter molecules in vesicles.

Answer 41

Storage of Transmitters

Question 42

At the end of an axon, depolarization opens calcium gates in the presynaptic terminal that causes exocytosis or the bursts of release of neurotransmitter from the presynaptic neuron.

Answer 42

Release and Diffusion of Transmitters

Question 43

Released neurotransmitters activated the the postsynaptic cell

Answer 43

Activating Receptors of the Postsynaptic Cell

Question 44

This is when ions (sodium, potassium, calcium) pass in response to a neurotransmitter

Answer 44

Ionotropic Effects

Question 45

When a neurotransmitter attaches to this another group of receptor, it requires g proteins and second messengers to conduct ionic activity in neurons.

Answer 45

Metabotropic Effects

Question 46

after acetylcholine activates a receptor, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (a-SEE-til-ko-lih-NES-teh-raze) breaks it into two fragments: acetate and choline; the choline diffuses back to the presynaptic neuron, which takes it up and reconnects it with acetate already in the cell to form acetylcholine again.

Answer 46

Inactivation and Reuptake of Neurotransmitters