Download Ch 48-49 Reading Guide

CHAPTER 48
NEURONS, SYNAPSES, AND SIGNALING
48.1 An Overview of Nervous Systems
1. Name the three stages in the processing of information by nervous systems.
2. List and describe the major parts of a neuron and explain the function of each.
3. Describe the function of glia.
48.2 The Nature of Nerve Signals
4. Define a membrane potential and a resting potential.
5. Describe the factors that contribute to a membrane potential.
6. Explain the role of the sodium-potassium pump in maintaining the resting potential.
7. Explain how the Nernst equation may be used to calculate EK, the equilibrium
potential for K+.
48.3 Action Potentials
8. Describe the characteristics of an action potential. Explain the role of voltage-gated
ion channels in this process.
9. Define the refractory period.
10. Explain why the action potential cannot travel back toward the cell body.
11. Describe the factors that affect the speed of action potentials along an axon and
describe adaptations that increase the speed of propagation. Describe saltatory
conduction.
48.4 The Synapse
12. Describe the structures of a chemical synapse and the events that lead to the release
of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.
13. Explain this statement: “Unlike action potentials, which are all-or-none events,
postsynaptic potentials are graded.”
14. Explain the integrative role of the axon hillock.
15. Describe the role of signal transduction pathways in indirect synaptic transmission.
16. Describe the specific properties of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Explain the
link between botulism and acetylcholine.
17. Name four biogenic amines. Briefly describe the role of each molecule in the
nervous system.
18. Identify and describe the functions of two amino acids and several neuropeptides
that work as neurotransmitters.
19. Describe the roles of nitric oxide and carbon monoxide as local regulators
Learning Objectives for Campbell/Reece Biology, 8th Edition, © Pearson Education, Inc.
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CHAPTER 49
NERVOUS SYSTEMS
Name__________________
49.1 Vertebrate Nervous Systems
1. Compare and contrast the nervous systems of the following animals and explain how
variations in design and complexity relate to their phylogeny, natural history, and
habitat: hydra, sea star, planarian, nematode, clam, squid, and vertebrate.
2. Explain how the spinal cord produces reflex movement.
3. List the types of glia and their functions.
4. Distinguish between the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system.
49.2 The Vertebrate Brain
5. Describe the embryonic development of the vertebrate brain.
6. Describe the specific functions of the reticular system.
7. Explain how the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) function as a mammalian biological
clock.
8. Compare the organization of the human and avian pallium.
Learning Objectives for Campbell/Reece Biology, 8th Edition, © Pearson Education, Inc.
2 of 2