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Neurons & Synaptic Transmission (AQA A Level Psychology)

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  • What is a neuron?

    A neuron is a cell which exists within the nervous system to communicate within the body and is essential to everyday survival.

  • Neurons send ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ and ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ messages around the body to sense organs, glands and other organs.

    Neurons send electrical and chemical messages around the body to sense organs, glands and other organs.

  • Which one of the following is not a component of a neuron?

    a) Myelin sheath

    b) Axon

    c) Cortex

    d) Dendrites

    e) Terminal knobs

    e) Cell body

    c.

    Cortex is not a component of a neuron.

  • Name the three types of neurons.

    The three types of neurons are sensory neurons, motor neurons and relay neurons.

  • The gap between two neurons is the:

    a) synaptic cleft

    b) node of Ranvier

    c) action potential

    a.

    The gap between two neurons is the synaptic cleft.

    Neurons do not touch, the synapse is the gap between the end of one neuron and the start of the next.

  • The role of sensory neurons is to send information from the ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ nervous system to the ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ nervous system.

    The role of sensory neurons is to send information from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system.

  • True or False?

    Sensory neurons can only send messages one way but cannot receive messages.

    True.

    Sensory neurons can only send messages one way but cannot receive messages.

    They operate rather like a one-way street.

  • Sensory neurons have:

    a) long dendrites and long axons

    b) short dendrites and long axons

    c) long dendrites and short axons

    c.

    Sensory neurons have long dendrites and short axons.

  • Which one of the following is not a feature of motor neurons?

    a) They carry signals from the central nervous system to muscles, organs and glands

    b) They can both transmit and receive messages

    c) They have no dendrites

    d) They control physical movements

    c.

    They have no dendrites is not a feature of motor neurons.

  • True or False?

    Motor neurons have long dendrites and long axons.

    False.

    Motor neurons have short dendrites and long axons.

  • Relay neurons connect ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ neurons to ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ neurons.

    Relay neurons connect sensory neurons to motor neurons.

  • Which one of the following is not a feature of relay neurons?

    a) They are located in the peripheral nervous system

    b) They can transmit and receive messages

    c) They have short axons and short dendrites

    d) They carry signals across the central nervous system

    a.

    They are located in the peripheral nervous system is not a feature of relay neurons.

    Relay neurons are located in the central nervous system.

  • Which one of the following is not part of a synapse?

    a) The postsynaptic membrane

    b) The presynaptic knob

    c) The synaptic cleft

    d) The myelin sheath

    d.

    The myelin sheath is not part of a synapse.

  • What is an action potential?

    An action potential is an electrical impulse that triggers the firing of neurons, which stimulates the process of synaptic transmission.

  • True or False?

    During synaptic transmission, the neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft and temporarily bind with receptor sites on the presynaptic membrane.

    False

    During synaptic transmission, the neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft and temporarily bind with receptor sites on the postsynaptic membrane.

  • True or False?

    After synaptic transmission, any remaining neurotransmitter molecules are destroyed by enzymes or recycled.

    True.

    After synaptic transmission any remaining neurotransmitter molecules are destroyed by enzymes or recycled,

    This is done to prevent continued stimulation of the postsynaptic neuron.

  • Neurotransmitters are either ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ or ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ .

    Neurotransmitters are either excitatory or inhibitory.

  • Dopamine receptors play an essential role in:

    a) mood regulation

    b) movement and reward

    c) memory and learning

    b.

    Dopamine receptors play an essential role in movement and reward.

  • True or False?

    Excitatory neurotransmitters are those that inhibit an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.

    False.

    Excitatory neurotransmitters are those that stimulate an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.

    Inhibitory neurotransmitters are those that inhibit an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.

  • Which of the following is not an excitatory neurotransmitter?

    a) Serotonin

    b) Glutamate

    c) Adrenaline

    a.

    Serotonin is not an excitatory neurotransmitter

  • True or False?

    Inhibitory neurotransmitters increase the neuron’s negative charge.

    True.

    Inhibitory neurotransmitters increase the neuron’s negative charge.

    Increasing the neuron's negative charge makes it less likely to ‘fire’.

  • True or False?

    Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.

    True.

    Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Previous:The Nervous System, Endocrine System & Fight or FlightNext:Localisation of Function & Hemispheric Lateralisation

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    2. Obedience

    3. Explanations of Resistance to Social Influence

    4. Minority Influence & Social Change

    1. Multi-store Model of Memory & Types of Long-Term Memory

    2. Working Memory Model

    3. Explanations for Forgetting

    4. Eyewitness Testimony

    1. Caregiver-infant Interactions

    2. Stages of Attachment & Role of the Father

    3. Animal Studies in Attachment

    4. Explanations of Attachment

    5. Types of Attachment & Cultural Variations

    6. Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation & Romanian Orphan Studies

    7. Influence of Early Attachment on Later Relationships

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    2. Phobias

    3. Depression

    4. OCD

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    2. Learning Approaches: the Behaviourist Approach

    3. Learning Approaches: Social Learning Theory

    4. The Cognitive Approach

    5. The Biological Approach

    6. The Psychodynamic Approach

    7. The Humanistic Approach

    8. Comparison of Approaches

    1. The Nervous System, Endocrine System & Fight or Flight

    2. Neurons & Synaptic Transmission

    3. Localisation of Function & Hemispheric Lateralisation

    4. Plasticity, Functional Recovery & Ways of Studying the Brain

    5. Biological Rhythms

    1. Aims, Hypotheses & Variables

    2. Research Issues, Controls & Pilot Studies

    3. Experiments: Types & Design

    4. Sampling Techniques

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