Exam 2: Synapses

 Which one of Sherrington's inferences about the synapse was wrong?

 Neurons communicate with both electrical and chemical signals. Scientists have shown that chemical communication is the preferred form as it is faster.

 Briefly compare the differences between ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Include their mechanisms of action and how they explain the difference in the effects on the postsynaptic cell.

 Transmission of information between neurons occurs in the same way as transmission along an axon.

 What do temporal summation and spatial summation have in common?

 Describe the main chemical events at a synapse.

 At synapses, the cell that receives the message is called the presynaptic neuron.

 Most of the brain's excitatory ionotropic synapses use the neurotransmitter glutamate.

 How are neurotransmitters removed from the synapse?

 Insulin increases the entry of tryptophan into the brain by ____.

 A receptor can directly open a channel and thereby exert a(n) ____ effect, or it can produce slower but longer ____ effect.

 Although slower than an action potential, synaptic transmission is still relatively fast because ____.

 Generally speaking, a neuron will release a greater number of neurotransmitters than what it will respond to with its own receptors.

 Most of the known neurotransmitters are synthesized from amino acids.

 Receptor molecules for neurotransmitters that exert metabotropic effects are proteins that bind to ____ outside the membrane, and attach to ____ inside the membrane.

 Why is the speed of conduction through a reflex arc slower than the speed of conduction of an action potential along an axon?

 An action potential causes the release of neurotransmitters by ____.

 Which process indicates spatial summation?

 Sherrington found that repeated stimuli within a brief time have a cumulative effect. He referred to this phenomenon as ____.

 An IPSP represents ____.