Neuroscience Basics Quiz

What is the primary function of neurons within the nervous system?

• To store energy

• To transmit electrochemical impulses

• To produce hormones

• To filter blood

Which part of the neuron is responsible for sending electrical signals to terminal regions?

• Dendrites

• Soma

• Axon

• Myelin sheath

What is the role of the myelin sheath in neurons?

• To store nutrients

• To improve conduction speed of electrical impulses

• To produce neurotransmitters

• To protect the nucleus

What is the term for the charge difference across a membrane when a neuron is not firing?

• Action potential

• Resting potential

• Synaptic potential

• Excitatory potential

What is the approximate charge inside a neuron during a typical resting potential?

• +30 mV

• 0 mV

• -70 mV

• +70 mV

What is the role of sodium-potassium pumps in neurons?

• To create an action potential

• To establish a resting potential

• To release neurotransmitters

• To open calcium channels

What happens during depolarisation in a neuron?

• Potassium ions enter the neuron

• Sodium ions exit the neuron

• Sodium ions enter the neuron

• Calcium ions enter the neuron

Which of the following increases conduction speed in axons?

• Narrow diameters

• Lack of myelin sheath

• Wide diameters

• Short axons

What is the function of neurotransmitters in synaptic transfer?

• To create a resting potential

• To fuse with the plasma membrane and release chemicals

• To open sodium channels

• To degrade calcium ions

What is acetylcholine?

• A type of ion channel

• A neurotransmitter found in neuromuscular junctions

• A fatty layer insulating axons

• A type of synaptic gap