Practice exam short answer

Question 1

Cholinergic system

Answer 1

produces: acetylcholine
location of synthesis: midbrain and basal forebrain
Projects: throughout the cortex
Purpose: attention, memory, maintaining neuronal excitability
Dysfunction: Alzheimer’s (-)

Question 2

Dopaminergic - mesostriatal

Answer 2

Produces: dopamine
Location of synthesis: substantia nigra
Projects to: caudate and putamen (striatum)
Purpose: movement
Dysfunction: Parkinson’s

Question 3

Dopaminergic - mesolimbocortical

Answer 3

Produces: dopamine
Location of synthesis: ventral tegmentum
Projects to: frontal lobes
Purpose: reward, addiction, motivation
Dysfunction: ADHD (-), schizophrenia (+)

Question 4

Serotonergic

Answer 4

Produces: serotonin
Location of synthesis: raphae nuclei
Projects: throughout the brain
Purpose: mood, sleep, digestion
Dysfunction: depression (-), OCD (+)

Question 5

Noradrenergic

Answer 5

Produces: norepinephrine
Location of synthesis: pons
Projects: limbic system
Purpose: emotional regulation
Dysfunction: Depression (-) mania (+)

Question 6

Determining whether or not post synaptic potentials would produce an action potential

Answer 6

• 2 excitatory potentials close together in time or location will produce an action potential
  -1 inhibitory potential will cancel out an excitatory potential if they happen close together physically or in time

Question 7

4 major interacting neural systems in sleep

Answer 7

1. basal forebrain is responsible for SWS
2. Brainstem/reticular formation are responsible for waking up
3. Pons is responsible for REM sleep
4. Hypothalamus is the coordinator of the neural sleep systems

Question 8

3 ways neural and hormonal communication are similar

Answer 8

negative feedback loops, similar chemicals, and use of receptors

Question 9

3 ways neural and hormonal communication are different

Answer 9

hormones are slower than neural signals, hormones can travel far distances while neural impulses travel short distances, neurotransmitters are released directly to specific receptors but hormones travel until they find the appropriate receptor

Question 10

Regulatory behaviors

Answer 10

Definition: behaviors needed for survival
Examples: eating and drinking
Brain areas involved: hypothalamus

Question 11

Nonregulatory behaviors

Answer 11

Definition: behaviors not needed for survival
Examples: food preference and sexual behavior
Brain area involved: limbic system

Question 12

1st stage of neural development

Answer 12

Neurogenesis
7 weeks to 5 months
production of nerve cells
stem -> progenitor -> neuroblast or glioblast

Question 13

2nd stage of neural development

Answer 13

Cell migration
8-29 weeks
cells follow radical glial cells
cells migrate to inner layers first

Question 14

3rd stage of neural development

Answer 14

Differentiation
Mostly complete by 29 weeks
Can be influences by environment or autonomous

Question 15

4th stage of neural development

Answer 15

Synaptogenesis
starts at 20 weeks and continues after birth
Dendrites grow slower than axons
Axonal growth requires cones (part of axon that grows), filopods (search for chemicals on target cells), and tropic molecules (signaling molecules)

Question 16

5th stage of neural development

Answer 16

Neuronal death
synaptic connections that aren’t a part of a functional system are killed off via apoptosis
IAPs prevent apoptosis, but diablo is produced in the mitochondria and binds to IAPs, then caspases cut up proteins and DNA

Question 17

6th stage of neural development

Answer 17

Synapse rearrangement
happens mostly after birth
refining of synaptic connections

Question 18

7th stage of neural development

Answer 18

Myelogenesis
Birth of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes
Oligodendrocytes form myelin

Question 19

Name 4 glial cells and their functions

Answer 19

Choose any 4
1. Ependymal: make and secrete CSF
2. Astrocytes: maintain the blood-brain barrier
3. Microglia: phagocytosis
4. Oligodendrocytes: myelinate CNS
5. Schwann cells: myelinate PNS