Study Questions: Brain/Neurophysiology

1. Briefly describe the functions of (a) dendrites, (b) axons, and (c) synapses.

2. (a) What causes movement of ions? (b) Define "resting membrane potential". (c) How does this potential difference arise?

3. Explain the following terms: (a) depolarization, (b) decremental conduction (i.e., electrotonic spread), (c) slow potentials, and (d) action potentials.

4. Briefly discuss the differences between "slow potentials" and "action potentials" in terms of (i) threshold, (ii) relation between size of potential and distance, (iii) conduction speed, and (iv) encoding the strength of a stimulus.

5. Briefly describe "saltatory conduction".

6. (a) What is the basic function of a receptor? (b) Briefly describe the "law of specific nerve energies". (c) How does a receptor respond to sensory stimuli (that is, what type of potential)?

7. (a) Briefly describe how neurons communicate with each other. (b) What are the two kinds of messages? (c) What are the advantages of chemical synapses?

8. Basic properties of nerve impulses. (a) What is spontaneous activity? (b) What is the refractory period? How does it affect the maximum firing rate? (c) How does changing the stimulus intensity affect nerve firing?