Neuroscience Fundamentals Flashcards
7 cards from real Biology Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Neuroscience Fundamentals flashcards as text
Which neurotransmitter is primarily responsible for the 'fight-or-flight' response and is released from the adrenal medulla?
Answer: Epinephrine
Epinephrine (adrenaline) is released from the adrenal medulla during stress, triggering the sympathetic fight-or-flight response.
The blood-brain barrier is primarily formed by which cell type?
Answer: Astrocytes
Astrocyte end-feet wrap around brain capillaries and, together with tight junctions between endothelial cells, form the blood-brain barrier.
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is most closely associated with which receptor type?
Answer: NMDA glutamate
NMDA receptors act as coincidence detectors and are essential for the synaptic strengthening that underlies LTP and memory formation.
Which lobe of the cerebral cortex contains the primary somatosensory cortex?
Answer: Parietal lobe
The primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is located in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe and processes touch, pressure, and pain.
What is the approximate resting membrane potential of a typical neuron?
Answer: -70 mV
At rest, a neuron maintains approximately -70 mV inside relative to outside, maintained chiefly by the sodium-potassium ATPase pump.
Which part of the brain is the primary relay station for sensory information traveling to the cortex?
Answer: Thalamus
The thalamus acts as the central relay hub, directing sensory signals from the body to the appropriate cortical areas for processing.
Demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis primarily impair which property of nerve conduction?
Answer: Saltatory conduction speed
Myelin enables saltatory conduction by allowing the action potential to jump between nodes of Ranvier; its loss dramatically slows or blocks signal propagation.