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PSY 345 Biological Psychology
Study Guide 05
The Synapse
Today’s guide explores how neurons are able to communicate with one another.
READING: pps. 51-69 (You can skip the section on hormones for now)
What is a synapse?
What is a reflex and a reflex arc? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflex_arc )
How did Sherrington’s work on reflexes lead him to conclude that there were synapses, that
events in the postsynaptic neuron can be summed over time, that the postsynaptic neurons can
sum information over space, and that interneurons are involved in some reflexive behaviors?
How did Elliot and Loewi figure out that chemicals were involved in neurons communicate with
chemical signals and what implications did this realization have for psychiatry? (Elliot isn’t in
the readings, we’ll discuss it in class).
What is a neurotransmitter and what are the major categories of neurotransmitters?
What types of neurotransmitters are glutamate, GABA, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine,
serotonin, acetylcholine, nitric oxide, and endorphins?
Starting from an arriving action potential explain what happens at the synapse. Your answer
should include the following terms (calcium, vesicle, neurotransmitter, exocytosis, diffusion,
receptor, activation, inactivation, reuptake, transporters, autoreceptors, and negative feedback.
What’s the difference between an ionotropic and metabotropic receptor? (Make sure you
describe the cascade of events when each type of receptor is stimulated.)
Why would nitric oxide be released as soon as it’s synthesized in a neuron?
What are the differences between excitatory and inhibitory post synaptic potentials?
What is a neurons spontaneous firing rate and how do postsynaptic potentials affect the
spontaneous firing rate?
Compared to the number of different neurotransmitters that a neuron responds to, how many
different types of neurotransmitter do individual neurons synthesize and release?