Name: Code Name (anything but your SSN!): BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY I (2012 sec 002) MIDTERM EXAM 1

Animals are too different from humans to provide useful biological information about human disease. The important cell staining technique (silver nitrate) that has contributed to the neuron hypothesis is: the Cajal technique. You MUST use the answer sheet provided by us inside your exam packet.

1 Name: Code Name (anything but your SSN!): BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY I (2012 sec 002) MIDTERM EXAM 1 Mark the ONE BEST letter choice (either A, B, C, D, or E) on the computer-graded sheet in NUMBER TWO PENCIL. If you need to erase, do so completely! You MUST use the answer sheet provided by us inside your exam packet. No other answer sheet will be allowed. TAKE A DEEP BREATH GOOD LUCK!!! 1. What are some arguments in favor of using animals in research? a) studying the function and behavior of animals contributes to the well-being of animals and humans. b) many questions concerning humans cannot be answered by experiments on humans. c) animals are too different from humans to provide useful biological information about human diseases. d) all of the above. e) a and b only. 2. What are some philosophical arguments against the use of animals in research? a) animals are too different from humans to provide useful biological information about human disease. b) study of animals can be a source of insight into the evolution of the human body and its functions. c) because animals, just like humans, experience pain and suffering, they are worthy of the same degree of consideration as is granted to humans. d) all of the above. e) a and b only. 3. Which of the following is not part of a neuron s function? a) encoding memories. b) the production of myelin. c) the production of thoughts. d) the production of neurotransmitters. e) muscular movement. 4. How many neurons does the human nervous system approximately contain? a) 100 billion. b) 6 million. c) 100 million. d) 1 trillion. e) 60 trillion. 5. What is the main function of the nervous system? a) receive information. b) process information. c) send information. d) all of the above. e) none of the above. 6. The important cell staining technique (silver nitrate) that has contributed to the neuron hypothesis is: a) the Cajal technique. b) the Golgi technique. c) the Nissl stain. d) the Santiago technique. e) the cholinesterase stain.

2 7. Which of the following neuronal components are important in the production of proteins? a) ribosomes. b) synaptic vesicles. c) mitochondria. d) Golgi apparatus. e) microtubules. 8. Which basic component(s) of a neuron play(s) a crucial role in the conduction of electrical activity? a) presynaptic terminal. b) endoplasmic reticulum. c) soma. d) cell membrane. e) post-synaptic terminal. 9. Myelin sheats are produced by in the peripheral nervous system. a) astrocytes. b) oligodendrocytes. c) microglia. d) Schwann cells. e) neurons. 10. Neurons communicate with each other through what specialized structure? a) nodes of Ranvier. b) dendrite. c) synapse. d) axon. e) soma. 11. Which of the following is an example of an atom? a) tyrosine. b) sodium (Na). c) glutamate. d) synaptic vesicle. e) none of the above. 12. Which type of neuron is more likely to receive information from your skin? a) projection neuron. b) motor neuron. c) interneuron. d) pseudounipolar neuron. e) multipolar neuron. 13. Which of the following can you normally find in a nerve cell membrane? a) a lipid bilayer. b) ion channel proteins. c) neurotransmitter receptor proteins. d) voltage-dependent ion channel proteins. e) all of the above. 2

3 B E A D C Which letter represent the nerve cell parts in the next three questions? 14. Soma? (mark A, B, C, D, or E) 15. Dendrite? (mark A, B, C, D, or E) 16. Node of Ranvier? (mark A, B, C, D, or E) 17. What instrument is used to measure and visualize membrane potentials? a) Geiger counter. b) oscilloscope. c) amplifier. d) cathode-ray tube. e) stimulator. 18. The two forces that drive ions across neuronal cell membranes are a) the resting potential. b) diffusion pressure. c) electrostatic pressure. d) a and b. e) b and c. 19. Neuron A makes a synaptic contact onto neuron B. Given that neuron A contains GABA as a neurotransmitter, what is likely to happen when neuron A is invaded by an action potential? a) neuron B will show an inhibitory postsynaptic potential. b) neuron B backfires onto neuron A. c) neuron B is more likely to produce an action potential. d) neuron B will die. e) nothing in neuron B. 3

4 20. An EPSP makes the creation of an action potential likely. a) just as. b) less. c) more. d) not very. e) none of the above. 21. A neuron fires an action potential when a) the threshold of activation is exceeded at the axon hillock. b) there is an EPSP. c) it is in absolute refractory period. d) it is in relative refractory period. e) its presynaptic receptors (autoreceptors) are inhibited by its own neurotransmitter. 22. EPSPs on a distant dendritic tree a) have maximum influence on the triggering of action potentials. b) are easier than EPSPs elsewhere to summate both spatially and temporally. c) are less likely to have an effect than those close to the axon hillock. d) do not have any effects on the triggering of action potentials. e) are usually cancelled out by IPSPs. 23. Action potentials are initiated by the a) opening of voltage-gated potassium channels. b) opening of voltage-gated sodium channels. c) closing of voltage-gated sodium channels. d) opening of ligand-gated potassium channels. e) opening of voltage-gated calcium channels. 24. Stimulation producing two EPSPs in quick succession at the same synapse illustrates a) algebraic summation. b) exponential summation. c) temporal summation. d) literal summation. e) both a and b. 25. Given your knowledge of the biology of nerve cells, what prediction would be most likely if the membrane of a new nerve cell type was perfectly permeable to all molecules, including large proteins? a) its resting membrane potential would be very negative. b) its action potential would be much greater than normal. c) its action potential would be much smaller than normal. d) its resting membrane potential would be very positive. e) it would be incapable of transmitting information. 26. A neuron cannot produce an action potential a) during the relative refractory period. b) when the membrane potential is hyperpolarized. c) when the threshold membrane potential has been reached. d) during the absolute refractory period. e) during saltatory conduction. 4

5 27. Which of the following statement(s) is false? a) The all-or-none law implies that action potentials in a given neuron are always the same size. b) The rate law implies that the rate of AP firing is always the same in a given neuron. c) The action potential is an active, regenerative process. d) Post-synaptic potentials travel passively and very fast. e) both a and c are false. 28. Otto Loewi in his famous experiment determining the chemical nature of neural messages, used what type of tissue? a) pig s hearts. b) frog s leg muscles. c) giant squid axons. d) pig s leg muscles. e) frog s hearts. 29. Large molecule neurotransmitters (neuropeptides) are synthesized a) in the presynaptic terminals. b) in the Golgi complex. c) in lyzozomes. d) in mitochondria. e) on somatic ribosomes. 30. On the other hand, small molecule neurotransmitters (ex., ACh) are normally produced a) in the presynaptic terminals. b) in the Golgi complex. c) in lyzozomes. d) in mitochondria. e) on somatic ribosomes. 31. Which one of the following is not a criterion for neurotransmitter (NT) status? a) isolation of NT from presynaptic terminal. b) presence of ion channels. c) predictable pharmacological action. d) evidence of presynaptic release. e) postsynaptic receptor sites. 32. Some presynaptic buttons contain two sizes of synaptic vesicles; the small ones contain a) small-molecule neurotransmitters. b) nitric oxide. c) synthesizing enzymes. d) protein neurotransmitters. e) degrading enzymes. 33. Which ion is ultimately responsible for the docking and fusion of synaptic vesicles to the presynaptic membrane during neurotransmitter release? a) Na +. b) Cl -. c) Ca ++. d) K +. e) AN -. 5

6 34. In neurons, exocytosis is defined as: a) the packaging of neurotransmitter into vesicles. b) the enzyme involved in neurotransmitter degradation. c) the reuptake of neurotransmitter from the synaptic cleft. d) the structural skeleton of nerve cells. e) the release of neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. 35. Postsynaptic receptors the effects of neurotransmitters. a) magnify. b) inhibit. c) determine. d) antagonize. e) turn off. 36. Metabotropic receptors are directly linked to a) ion channels. b) G-proteins. c) ionotropic receptors. d) acetylcholine receptors. e) vesicles. 37. Which of the following process is used by the nervous system to deactivate neurotransmitters after their synaptic release? a) re-uptake of neurotransmitters in presynaptic terminal. b) re-uptake of neurotransmitters in glial cells. c) enzymatic degradation. d) all of the above. e) b and c only. 38. When discussing the different types of receptors in a neurons, we mentioned that autoreceptors: a) normally respond to any neurotransmitters. b) automatically respond to a change in membrane potential. c) always increase neurotransmitter release. d) only respond to the large molecule peptide neurotransmitters. e) normally respond to the cell s own neurotransmitter. 39. True (a) or False (b). Several neurotransmitter receptor proteins can bind the same neurotransmitter. 40. Ionotropic receptors normally produce their actions via a) second-messengers. b) ion channels. c) EPSPs. d) action potentials. e) IPSPs. 41. Which of the following molecule is a catecholamine neurotransmitter? a) epinephrine. b) GABA. c) nitric oxide. d) glutamate. e) serotonin. 6

7 42. Which of the following is a gas utilized as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system? a) glutamate. b) dopamine. c) nitric oxide. d) glycine. e) gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). 43. GABA is an inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter mostly found in a) brain. b) spinal cord. c) neuromuscular junction. d) sympathetic nervous system. e) peripheral nerves. 44. Which two neurotransmitters are synthesized from the same precursor molecule? a) glycine and dopamine. b) glutamate and GABA. c) histamine and serotonin. d) acetylcholine and glycine. e) nitric oxide and enkephalin. 45. Several criteria are required for a chemical to be given neurotransmitter status; which of the following is not one of them? a) need a predictable pharmacological action. b) need postsynaptic receptor sites. c) need amino acid precursors. d) need enzymes for production. e) need to be present in presynaptic neuron. 46. Which two enzymes are required to produce dopamine from the precursor tyrosine? a) tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine â-hydroxylase. b) dopamine â-hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine-n-methyl transferase. c) DOPA decarboxylase and dopamine â-hydroxylase. d) tyrosine hydroxylase and DOPA decarboxylase. e) phenylethanolamine-n-methyl transferase and tyrosine hydroxylase. 47. Drugs that inactivate a neurotransmitter s synthetic enzyme act as: a) receptor blockers. b) inhibitory drugs. c) antagonists of the neurotransmitter. d) autoreceptor blockers. e) agonists of the neurotransmitter. 49. Which of the following is made exogenously from the body? a) LSD. b) L-Dopa. c) nitric oxide. d) cholecystokinin. e) acetylcholine. 7

8 50. In order to treat the acute pain experienced by the driver of a serious car crash as quickly as possible with morphine, what route of administration would you employ? a) intravenous. b) inhalation. c) sublingual. d) intramuscular. e) oral. Cheers, it s over!!! Good work. Remember to turn in both the exam and the bubble sheet. Exam 1 answer key (green version) 1. E 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. D 6. B 7. A 8. D 9. D 10. C 11. B 12. D 13. E 14. A 15. D 16. E 17. B 18. E 19. A 20. C 21. A 22. C 23. B 24. C 25. E 26. D 27. B 28. E 29. E 30. A 31. B 32. A 33. C 34. E 35. C 36. B 37. D 38. E 39. A 40. B 41. A 42. C 43. A 44. B 45. C 46. D 47. C 49. A 50. A 8