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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.

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  1. Which neurotransmitter system is most directly implicated in Parkinson's disease due to degeneration of the substantia nigra?

    Answer: Dopamine

    Parkinson's disease results from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, reducing dopamine signaling in the striatum.

  2. What term describes the period after an action potential during which a neuron cannot fire again regardless of stimulus strength?

    Answer: Absolute refractory period

    During the absolute refractory period, all voltage-gated sodium channels are inactivated, making re-stimulation impossible no matter how large the stimulus.

  3. Which glial cell type is responsible for myelinating axons in the central nervous system?

    Answer: Oligodendrocytes

    Oligodendrocytes wrap their membrane extensions around multiple CNS axons, forming myelin sheaths that insulate and speed up signal conduction.

  4. The hippocampus is critically involved in which type of memory?

    Answer: Declarative episodic memory

    The hippocampus is essential for forming new declarative (explicit) memories, including episodic memories of personal experiences and semantic facts.

  5. Spatial summation in neurons refers to:

    Answer: Simultaneous inputs from multiple synapses combining to reach threshold

    Spatial summation occurs when excitatory postsynaptic potentials from several synapses arrive simultaneously and add together to depolarize the neuron to threshold.

  6. Which division of the autonomic nervous system uses acetylcholine as its primary postganglionic neurotransmitter?

    Answer: Parasympathetic

    Parasympathetic postganglionic neurons release acetylcholine onto muscarinic receptors, mediating 'rest-and-digest' effects on target organs.

  7. Action potentials are described as 'all-or-none' events because:

    Answer: Once threshold is reached, the full amplitude is always produced regardless of stimulus size

    Once a neuron reaches threshold, it fires a full-amplitude action potential; a stronger stimulus does not produce a larger action potential in that neuron.