Anatomy- 7.2 and 7.3 : How Synapses Work

Neurotransmitter

Neurotransmitter molecules carry information across a synaptic cleft.

disease of basal nuclei

Parkinson's disease Basal nuclei are involved in starting and stopping voluntary muscle movement.

The mechanism by which the neurotransmitter is returned to a presynaptic neuron's axon terminal is specific for each neurotransmitter. Which of the following neurotransmitters is broken down by an enzyme before being returned?

acetylcholine

What is the most abundant glial cell in the central nervous system (CNS)?

astrocytes

result from damage to the cerebellum

ataxia, Damage to the cerebellum interferes with balance and the coordination of skeletal muscle movements.

major functions of the pons

breathing

Binding of a neurotransmitter to its receptors opens __________ channels on the __________ membrane.

chemically gated; postsynaptic Yes, the neurotransmitter is a chemical released from the presynaptic membrane, so it would open chemically gated channels on the postsynaptic membrane.

The large fiber tract that allows communication between the two cerebral hemispheres is called the

corpus callosum

The thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus collectively constitute t

diencephalon interbrain

Binding of the neurotransmitter to its receptor causes the membrane to __________.

either depolarize or hyperpolarize

When neurotransmitter molecules bind to receptors in the plasma membrane of the receiving neuron,

ion channels in the plasma membrane of the receiving neuron open.

in which cerebral lobe is the primary somaticsensory cortex located

parietal

The hypothalamus regulates the

pituitary gland

In a synapse, neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles located in the

presynaptic neuron

longitudinal fissure

separates the two cerebral hemispheres of the brain

What ion depolarizes the membrane when it diffuses into the axon of a neuron?

sodium

The small space between the sending neuron and the receiving neuron is the

synaptic cleft.

What portion of the diencephalon acts as a relay station for sensory impulses traveling upward to the sensory cortex?

thalamus

If a signal from a sending neuron makes the receiving neuron more negative inside,

the receiving neuron is less likely to generate an action potential.

When calcium ions enter the synaptic terminal,

they cause vesicles containing neurotransmitter molecules to fuse to the plasma membrane of the sending neuron.

An action potential releases neurotransmitter from a neuron by opening which of the following channels?

voltage-gated Ca2+ channels Yes, opening of these channels causes calcium to move into the axon terminal. Calcium inside the neuron causes the vesicles to merge with the membrane and release the neurotransmitter via exocytosis into the synaptic cleft.