Ch.2a Intro. to Neuroscience and the Neuron

Herbert has been having considerable trouble with his short-term memory. His family has noticed a number of mistakes Herbert has been making (e.g., leaving doors unlocked, getting lost in the neighborhood, forgetting family member's names). It is likely that Herbert has a reduced level of acetylcholine and may be showing the symptoms of:

Alzheimer's disease.

In an effort to relax after a stress-filled week, Joanne has a couple of glasses of wine, and her co-worker Jim takes a Valium. Both alcohol and Valium work by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter _____, which inhibits action potentials and slows brain activity.

GABA

Michael has a fear of flying. His psychiatrist prescribed Valium to calm him down during flights. Valium works by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter _____, which inhibits action potentials and slows brain activity.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

There is a dance event going on with students attending from two different elementary schools. Students from one school are wearing purple shirts and students from the other school are wearing silver shirts. Imagine that the students in the purple represent potassium ions and the students in silver represent sodium ions, while the gymnasium represents the neuron. If their distribution is similar to what occurs during the resting potential for a neuron, which students would be more highly concentrated inside the building? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button. There would be no students inside the building. The students in the purple shirts would be more highly concentrated. The students in the silver shirts would be more highly concentrated. They would be equally distributed.

The students in the purple shirts would be more highly concentrated.

There is a dance event going on with students attending from two different elementary schools. Students from one school are wearing purple shirts and students from the other school are wearing silver shirts. Imagine that the students in the purple represent potassium ions and the students in silver represent sodium ions, while the gymnasium represents the neuron. If their distribution is similar to what occurs at the resting potential for a neuron, which students would be moving in and out through the gym doors MOST often?

The students in the purple shirts would be moving through the doors most often.

Jane's grandmother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Jane did some research so that she could help her grandmother better understand this disease. In her research, Jane found that Alzheimer's disease involves the deterioration of neurons that produce:

acetylcholine (ACh).

A hunter in a South American jungle uses the poisonous drug curare on the tip of his arrow. When the arrow strikes an animal, the animal becomes almost instantly limp and quickly suffocates because its respiratory system has become paralyzed. The drug has blocked the receptors for the neurotransmitter:

acetylcholine.

Harry has been having problems eating lately and his doctor thinks it is likely because the neurotransmitter that regulates this behavior is probably not performing properly. If the doctor wants to increase the activity of this neurotransmitter, he will MOST likely prescribe Harry a drug that acts as a(n):

agonist

Tyree is studying about neurons today because he knows they will be discussed in class tomorrow. He decides that the best way to remember the parts of the axon is to create a diagram. Tyree draws a picture of an axon, which resembles a tube-like structure extending from a cell body. At the end of the axon are branches that conclude with the:

axon terminals.

If the neurotransmitter dopamine is released into the synapse, and the receiving dendrites have dopamine and serotonin receptors, the dopamine: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

can bind only to the dopamine receptors.

First used by South American Indians for hunting, _____ was briefly used in surgeries because of its acetylcholine-blocking properties.

curare

Which neurotransmitter is associated with pleasure and plays a role in drug addiction?

dopamine

In his medical practice, Dr. Setiadi uses acupuncture, an ancient Chinese procedure, which involves inserting needles at various points in the body. This painkilling technique is assumed to involve the production of _____ by the brain.

endorphins

Nicole went to the doctor because she suffered a seizure while she was at work. She was happy to hear the doctor tell her that the seizure came from too much of the neurotransmitter(s) _____, and not from a particular brain area.

glutamate

The largest number of neurons within the brain and spinal cord are responsible for the central nervous system's complex internal communications and intervene between inputs and outputs. These are the _____. Please type the correct answer in the following input field, and then select the submit answer button or press the enter key when finished.

interneurons

Five-year-old Janna watches her brother throw a baseball. In her brain, _____ would respond as if she were throwing the baseball herself.

mirror neurons

Dr. Reynolds is studying how memories are stored in the brain. Dr. Reynolds is MOST likely a:

neurologist

Bobby is studying for a psychology exam. Using his brain's 90 billion nerve cells, or _____, and roughly 100 trillion points of communication, he looks out the window and is able to see birds flying around outside.

neurons

Dr. Stack studies the function and structure of the brain. Dr. Stack's area of research is: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

neuroscience

Dr. Gadhuri studies the physiology of the brain but spends little time looking at behavior. Dr. Gadhuri is MOST likely a:

neuroscientist.

Emily floats a note across a river to Dylan instead of directly passing it from her hand to Dylan's hand. If, in this scenario, the river represents the synapse, which component of the scenario represents the neurotransmitter?

note

If a neuron was compared a prison, the _____ could be compared to the prison guards when the neuron is at the resting potential.

potassium ions

When the neuron is at the resting potential, there is a high concentration of _____ ions inside the cell membrane and a high concentration of _____ ions outside the cell membrane.

potassium; sodium

If a neuron was compared to a prison, the potassium ions could be compared to the _____ when the neuron is at the resting potential.

prison guards

If a neuron was compared with a prison, the sodium ions could be compared with the _____ when the neuron is at the resting potential.

prisoners

Lucille is suffering from a number of symptoms, including depression, sleep disturbances, and mood fluctuations. She also has problems in learning and memory retrieval. Her doctor prescribes Prozac and some other drugs because the patient's problems are probably due to abnormal levels of: Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

serotonin and norepinephrine.

Chen is trying to remember the three different types of neurons for a test. Which of these is NOT one of the three types?

signal neurons

Devan is studying for his midterm and is quizzing himself on the topic of neurons. He is trying to figure out the name for that "tiny space" where neurons connect, which is the:

synaptic gap

****In response to an exam question, Leilani accurately draws a picture of a neuron and indicates the sequence of events that are typically involved when a neuron communicates. She notes that information is carried from:

the dendrites to the cell body and then along the axon to the axon terminals and the synapse.

In the resting state, the voltage inside a cell is approximately _____ compared to the voltage outside.

−70 mV