Questions 1-3 are worth 4 points each. Question 4 is worth 8 points. Total score for this exam will be out of 20.

 

Do not view point allocation as a measure of the importance of each question.  Just provide a balanced and informative answer for each question. Budget your time appropriately (although this could be done in 40 minutes). WRITE LEGIBLY.

 

  1. Answer one of the following:

 

    1. In what way is the morphology of a neuron consistent with the concepts of a chemically and anatomically addressed nervous system?

 

    1. What are Type I and Type II synapses, and how would they regulate the temporal dimension of brain operation? Be sure to reference relevant neurotransmitters.

 

  1. Answer one of the following:

 

    1. What is the difference between an ‘agonist’ and a ‘antagonist’ effect? How could our knowledge of the functions exerted by autoreceptors and heteroreceptors be used to promote agonist and antagonist effects? List two other ways in which you could produce each type of effect (i.e. 2 for agonist, 2 for antagonist). In your listing, be sure to explain why the agonist and antagonist effects would actually occur.

 

    1. Explain the differences between a full, partial and inverse agonist. Suggest the logic that might lie behind selecting these different types of agonists in a therapeutic setting.

 

  1. Answer one of the following (i.e.question  a or b):

 

    1. A researcher is conducting an experiment in which the immediate early gene c-fos is being detected in different areas of the brain following exposure to an acute stressor and repeated exposure to the same stressor.

                                                               i.      What type of results might the researcher obtain?

                                                             ii.      Will failure to activate c-fos imply that the researcher will be unable to detect AP-1? Please explain your answer.

 

    1. (i) Name the specific brain regions which contain cell bodies that give rise to dopaminergic and noradrenergic axon projections.

(ii) How could these cell bodies be differentiated using  immunohistochemistry?

(iii) The peptide ACTH is a product of proopiomelanocortin (POMC). Would using in situ hybridization be sufficient to look for cells that release ACTH? Explain your answer

 

 

 

  1. In relation to the figure below showing a portion of  cell membrane answer all of the following questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.                   What type of receptor is illustrated in region A of the cell membrane?

 

b.                  Is the structure in region B a ligand-gated receptor? Briefly Explain.

 

c.                   If this membrane is on the presynaptic terminal,  how might neurotransmitter actions in region A influence region B in such a way as to produce depolarization at the postsynaptic membrane?

 

d.                  Explain the cascade of events that generally takes place from the point when a neurotransmitter binds to the receptor in Region A to the point when newly made cAMP kinase (or other kinases and proteins) appears in the cytoplasm.