Synaptic Plasticity and Neuronal Function Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What refers to the process by which experiences change our nervous system and behavior?

  • Learning (correct)
  • Memory retrieval
  • Memory engrams
  • Neuronal plasticity
  • What is the cellular basis of long-term memory?

  • Changes in neuronal excitability
  • Neuronal plasticity (correct)
  • No physical change in the brain
  • Formation of new synapses
  • What do we refer to as memory traces or memory engrams?

  • Implicit memories
  • Transient memories
  • Memories (correct)
  • Durable memories
  • What is known as accessing memories?

    <p>Memory retrieval</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does neuronal plasticity refer to?

    <p>Changes in neuronal excitability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process by which neurons make new proteins and read new genes?

    <p>Neuronal plasticity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What always waves in neural activity and becomes more complex with learning?

    <p>Neuronal plasticity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is typically used to measure neuronal plasticity?

    <p>Intrinsic excitability and synaptic strength</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines intrinsic excitability?

    <p>The number and type of ion channels expressed by the neuron</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is referred to as synaptic plasticity?

    <p>Changes in synaptic connection strength between two neurons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can synaptic plasticity involve?

    <p>Pre- and postsynaptic changes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does habituation of Aplysia's gill withdrawal reflex involve?

    <p>Changes in sensory neuron excitability and synaptic connection strength</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What changes during habituation in Aplysia's sensory neuron excitability?

    <p>Fewer action potentials occurring upon touch</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What remains unchanged during habituation of Aplysia's gill withdrawal reflex?

    <p>Motor neuron excitability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is long-term potentiation (LTP)?

    <p>A long-term increase in the strength of the connection between two neurons, often induced by high-frequency stimulation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What drives presynaptic modifications in long-term depression (LTD)?

    <p>Retrograde endocannabinoid signaling</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines synaptic strength in relation to NMDA receptors?

    <p>The amount of calcium influx</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of NMDA receptors in learning and memory?

    <p>Acting as coincidence detectors sensitive to glutamate and depolarization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When does the release of neurotransmitter need to coincide with for LTP to occur?

    <p>Substantial depolarization of the postsynaptic cell</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of persistent low-frequency stimulation on synaptic strength?

    <p>Long-term decrease in synaptic strength (LTD)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can drive presynaptic modifications in LTP?

    <p>Retrograde signaling of nitric oxide</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the current flow through the NMDA channel?

    <p>Glutamate and membrane voltage</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What ions will enter a cell through NMDA receptors when they are bound to glutamate and Mg2+ is not blocking the pore?

    <p>Na+ and Ca2+ ions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What enzyme is activated by calcium influx through NMDA receptors and plays a role in establishing long-term potentiation?

    <p>CaMKII</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the cellular basis of learning according to Donald Hebb's hypothesis?

    <p>Strengthening of synaptic connections that are active when the postsynaptic neuron fires an action potential</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of nitric oxide (NO) in synaptic plasticity?

    <p>Acts as a retrograde messenger to promote LTP</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of learning involves learning to recognize stimuli as distinct entities?

    <p>Perceptual learning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of learning involves learning to make skilled, choreographed movements?

    <p>Motor learning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the hypothesis proposed by Donald Hebb regarding the cellular basis of learning?

    <p>Fire together, wire together</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main glutamate receptor that mediates most excitatory fast synaptic currents in the brain?

    <p>AMPA receptor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process by which substances in the body and characteristics of the body are maintained at optimal levels to survive?

    <p>Homeostasis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the level that a variable, such as food and water, must be above to maintain optimal levels?

    <p>Set point</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the analogy used to describe the slow adjustment of the body's response to changes in variables like temperature?

    <p>Classic thermostat</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What mechanism is mentioned as a way to avoid waste when slow to warm up in response to changes in variables?

    <p>Smart heating mechanism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the process by which the body maintains stable internal conditions necessary for survival?

    <p>Homeostasis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of the set point in maintaining optimal levels of variables like food and water?

    <p>It specifies the level that must be maintained</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which hormone provides a negative feedback signal that decreases hunger and increases sensitivity to short-term satiety signals?

    <p>Leptin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the rare condition that results in obesity and intense hunger, and can be treated with leptin injections?

    <p>Congenital leptin deficiency</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What triggers a cascade of effects including insulin suppression, glucose production, slowed energy expenditure, and intense hunger?

    <p>Glucoprivation (hypoglycemia)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What initiates emergency feeding circuits similar to those observed in response to low blood sugar?

    <p>Lipoprivation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What hormone regulates hunger and basal metabolic rate by acting on receptors in the brain's arcuate nucleus?

    <p>Leptin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What disrupts insulin signaling, causing high blood sugar and weight loss, leading to intense hunger due to insufficient body fat and leptin signaling?

    <p>Diabetes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which neurons promote hunger and are inhibited by leptin?

    <p>AGRP/NPY neurons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What syndrome, caused by deletion of certain genes, leads to insatiable hunger and obesity-related health issues?

    <p>Prader-Willi syndrome</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What contributes to about 50% of body fat variability?

    <p>Genetic differences and metabolic efficiency</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is observed in rodents after consuming a high-fat, high-sugar diet?

    <p>Inflammation in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of hunger is regulated by specific neuropeptides in the medulla and hypothalamus?

    <p>Hedonic aspects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do overweight individuals exhibit that leads to an actively defended elevated body fat level?

    <p>Elevated leptin set point and a blunted response to increases in leptin levels</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of insulin signaling in fat cells?

    <p>Promotes the storage of fatty acids as triglycerides</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of ghrelin in the body?

    <p>Increases hunger and food intake</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when blood glucose levels decrease?

    <p>The pancreas stops secreting insulin and starts secreting glucagon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of CCK in the digestive system?

    <p>Causes the gallbladder to release digestive enzymes into the duodenum</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the immediate effect of short-term satiety signals released by the stomach and duodenum?

    <p>Regulate insulin secretion and inhibit food intake</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of GLP-1 in the body?

    <p>Regulates insulin secretion and inhibits food intake</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the mechanism that can control the regulated system variable in physiological regulatory processes?

    <p>Correctional mechanism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process by which the effect of a correctional mechanism diminishes or terminates further corrective action?

    <p>Satiety mechanism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What refers to the relative concentration of dissolved solutes on either side of a membrane that is permeable to water?

    <p>Tonicity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of solution has similar concentrations of solute on either side of the membrane, causing the cell to neither gain nor lose water?

    <p>Isotonic solution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes cellular dehydration (water leaves the cell) and gives rise to osmometric thirst?

    <p>Hypertonic solutions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What occurs when there is not enough blood circulating in the body, leading to an intense thirst?

    <p>Hypovolemic thirst</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What triggers osmometric thirst?

    <p>Changes in cell size due to tonicity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where are osmoreceptors located?

    <p>In the brain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main determinant of volumetric thirst?

    <p>Changes in blood volume</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What triggers the feeling of thirst?

    <p>Activation of neurons in the brain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What region of the brain is activated when ingesting hypertonic saline?

    <p>Cingulate cortex</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is thirst monitored in the body?

    <p>Through osmometric and volumetric detectors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which system regulates the internal environment of the body and stimulates glands and organs?

    <p>Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which signaling system prepares the body for action, such as in response to a threat?

    <p>Sympathetic signaling</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which division of the autonomic nervous system is associated with 'rest and digest' activities?

    <p>Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which nervous system transmits signals to the central nervous system from muscles, joints, and skin via nerves?

    <p>Somatic Nervous System (SNS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which nervous system regulates the body's internal environment and has opposing systems in terms of outcomes?

    <p>Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which system stimulates glands and organs, preparing the body for action and regulating the internal environment?

    <p>Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of the corpus callosum?

    <p>Connecting the brain hemispheres</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of the brain stem?

    <p>Controlling basic functions and affecting general alertness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of the hippocampus?

    <p>Encoding events as they happen and being crucial for memory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when neurotransmitters bind to specific receptors on the post-synaptic cell?

    <p>Opening of channels, causing depolarization and potential firing in the post-synaptic neuron</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the consequence of lacking the corpus callosum?

    <p>Preventing interhemispheric communication and limiting functions like preventing epilepsy spread</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of psychopharmacological drugs like SSRIs?

    <p>Artificially increasing neurotransmitter levels in the synapse</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the resting potential of a neuron?

    <p>-70 mV</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the axon of a neuron to fire an action potential?

    <p>Electrical stimulation exceeding the threshold of excitation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is responsible for the negative resting potential of the neuron?

    <p>Unequal distribution of ions, particularly K+ and Na+</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when depolarization reaches about +40 mV during an action potential?

    <p>Sodium channels close, halting the influx of Na+</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What drives the movement of ions across the neuron membrane?

    <p>Dynamics of diffusion and electrostatic pressure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What helps maintain the resting potential by actively transporting ions against their concentration gradients?

    <p>Sodium-potassium pump</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary role of the hypothalamus in the endocrine system?

    <p>Regulating the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which cells are responsible for protecting CNS neurons and forming the myelin sheath around axons?

    <p>Oligodendrocytes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the basic structure of a neuron specialized for communication?

    <p>Nodes of Ranvier, vesicles with neurotransmitters, presynaptic terminals, and postsynaptic terminals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many basic types of neurons are there in the nervous system?

    <p>Three</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main component of the human central nervous system?

    <p>Neurons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Ramon y Cajal study using the silver staining method?

    <p>Structures of neurons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of benzodiazepines in neurotransmission?

    <p>They act as GABA-A receptor agonists</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of the node of Ranvier in neuron physiology?

    <p>To facilitate saltatory signal propagation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the mechanism of action of ketamine in neurotransmission?

    <p>It acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main determinant of the velocity of action potential transmission in axons?

    <p>Axon diameter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of autoreceptors in neurotransmission?

    <p>To regulate neurotransmitter release</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the impact of myelination on the speed of signal propagation in axons?

    <p>It speeds up signal propagation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor influencing the velocity of action potential transmission in axons?

    <p>The diameter of the axon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary mechanism responsible for the significantly faster signal propagation in myelinated axons compared to unmyelinated axons?

    <p>Saltatory signal propagation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of larger axon diameters in relation to ion flow resistance?

    <p>Larger diameters lead to decreased resistance to ion flow</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which structures are basic components of neurons?

    <p>Node of Ranvier and presynaptic terminals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines whether neurotransmitter binding has inhibitory or excitatory effects?

    <p>The type of receptor present</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary mechanism involved in the modulation of neurotransmission by agonists and antagonists?

    <p>Neurotransmitter release and binding</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the essential components of the nervous system, supporting and contributing to the functions of neurons?

    <p>Microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Ramon y Cajal use to make significant discoveries about the structures of neurons?

    <p>Silver staining method</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary control center for the endocrine system?

    <p>Hypothalamus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What axis is activated in response to perceived stress, leading to the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland?

    <p>Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) axis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the basic structure of a neuron specialized for communication?

    <p>Nodes of Ranvier, vesicles with neurotransmitters, presynaptic terminals, and postsynaptic terminals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many basic types of neurons are there, each serving different functions within the nervous system?

    <p>Three</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Synaptic Plasticity and Neuronal Function

    • Neurons can still have action potential if a part of the dendritic spine cell is cut, surviving and maintaining essential functions.
    • Neurons can adapt and evolve through experiences, with synapses becoming stronger or weaker based on these experiences.
    • Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a long-term increase in the strength of the connection between two neurons, often induced by high-frequency stimulation.
    • LTP is often initiated on the postsynaptic side, but retrograde signaling of nitric oxide can drive presynaptic modifications.
    • Long-term depression (LTD) is a long-term decrease in the strength of the connection between two neurons, often induced by persistent low-frequency stimulation.
    • LTD is often initiated on the postsynaptic side, but retrograde endocannabinoid signaling can drive presynaptic modifications.
    • Both LTP and LTD are a function of the number of times the synapse was activated as well as whether the postsynaptic neuron fired at those precise times.
    • The release of neurotransmitter must coincide with a substantial depolarization of the postsynaptic cell for LTP to occur.
    • NMDA receptors play a significant role in learning and memory, as they are located in almost every glutamatergic synapse in the brain and act as coincidence detectors.
    • The NMDA receptor is sensitive to the presence of glutamate and depolarization, with the amount of calcium influx determining synaptic strength.
    • NMDA receptors are a key signal for synaptic strength, with the amount of calcium influx determining whether a synapse weakens or strengthens.
    • NMDA receptors act as a coincidence detector, and their role in detecting depolarization and calcium influx determines whether a synapse weakens or strengthens.

    Metabolism and Hunger Signals in the Body

    • Cold sensors in the mouth and sensory fibers in the stomach are part of the rapid satiety feedback mechanism to shut down thirst
    • The energy homeostasis system regulates hunger, and the body mostly consumes organic foods such as sugars, lipids, and amino acids
    • Cells store glucose and lipids for energy, and the pancreas releases insulin when blood glucose levels are high
    • Insulin signaling promotes the storage of fatty acids as triglycerides in fat cells, while glucagon signaling promotes the breakdown of triglycerides into fatty acids
    • Cells outside the brain require insulin to use glucose, while brain cells can always take in sugar
    • A decrease in blood glucose causes the pancreas to stop secreting insulin and start secreting glucagon, reserving glucose for the central nervous system
    • Hunger signals come from the empty stomach, particularly from the release of a peptide called ghrelin
    • Ghrelin increases hunger and food intake, and its levels increase with hunger and fall with satiation
    • The presence or absence of food in the duodenum regulates the release of ghrelin from the stomach
    • Short-term satiety signals released by the stomach and duodenum immediately after eating, before food has been digested, include CCK and GLP-1
    • CCK causes the gallbladder to release digestive enzymes into the duodenum, while GLP-1 regulates insulin secretion and inhibits food intake
    • These peptides are secreted in response to food intake and correlate with feelings of satiety

    Physiological Regulatory Mechanisms for Hunger and Thirst

    • Regulatory systems maintain system variables near a set point to prevent hunger and thirst from falling below critical levels
    • Correctional mechanisms control the regulated system variables to keep them at optimal values
    • Negative feedback keeps system variables near the set point, while positive feedback turns off correctional mechanisms
    • Satiety mechanisms cause cessation of hunger or thirst when adequate supplies of food and water are available
    • Anticipation of ingested food and water triggers satiety before cells have access to them
    • Thirst is monitored through osmometric and volumetric detectors, related to water levels inside cells and in the circulatory system
    • Body fluid compartments consist of 2/4 water inside cells and the rest outside cells, with salt affecting water distribution
    • Osmometric thirst is triggered by changes in cell size due to tonicity, leading to water entering or leaving the cell
    • Osmoreceptors detect changes in cell size and release neurotransmitters based on cell volume
    • Volumetric thirst occurs when there is not enough blood circulating in the body, monitored by the kidneys and related to hypovolemia
    • The feeling of thirst is related to the activation of hypothalamic neurons near the anteroventral tip of the third ventricle
    • Ingestion of hypertonic saline activates neurons in the AV3V region and anterior cingulate cortex, leading to thirst and subsequent reduction in thirst-related activity when drinking water

    The Endocrine System and Stress Response

    • The endocrine system influences thoughts, behaviors, and actions and works alongside the nervous system to prepare the body to deal with perceived threats.
    • The endocrine system primarily controlled by the hypothalamus, which signals to the pituitary gland located at the base of the hypothalamus.
    • The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) axis is activated in response to perceived stress, leading to the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland.
    • The human central nervous system consists of the spinal cord and brain, with neurons as its basic component.
    • Ramon y Cajal, a neuroanatomist, made significant discoveries about the structures of neurons using the silver staining method.
    • Glial cells, including microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, are essential components of the nervous system, supporting and contributing to the functions of neurons.
    • Microglia protect CNS neurons, while astrocytes link neurons to blood vessels and form part of the blood-brain barrier, and oligodendrocytes surround axons, forming the myelin sheath that insulates axons.
    • Neurons are specialized for communication, with a basic structure consisting of nodes of Ranvier, vesicles with neurotransmitters, presynaptic terminals, and postsynaptic terminals.
    • There are over 3300 types of brain cells in the human brain, and neurons can have different shapes depending on their function and location.
    • There are three basic types of neurons: interneurons, motor neurons, and sensory neurons, each serving different functions within the nervous system.
    • The flow of information in the neuron involves a signal being received at the dendritic spines, producing an electric current, and ultimately leading to the release of neurotransmitters.
    • The concept of potential is crucial in understanding the resting potential and the action potential in neurons, similar to how energy is stored in an electrical system like a battery.

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    Test your knowledge of synaptic plasticity and neuronal function with this quiz. Explore concepts such as long-term potentiation, long-term depression, NMDA receptors, and the adaptive nature of neuronal connections.

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