Author: Anonymous

In pseudounipolar neurons of the somatosensory system, the central and peripheral components of the fibers are a similar length. 

Muscle spindles are composed of intrafusal fibers called nuclear bag fibers and nuclear chain fibers. What is the difference between these fiber types, what type of information do they provide, and what type of sensory afferents innervate each of the different fibers?

Describe the phototransduction signaling cascade in a rod when light shines onto the cell.  Does this lead to a depolarization or hyperpolarization? Why? Be as detailed as possible!

Mandy is pregnant yet she still has four alcoholic drinks each day. Her baby may be at increased risk for the development of _____.

At around 38 weeks after conception, the _____ starts the sequence of events that prepares the fetus for delivery and starts the process of labor in the mother.

Which of these afferent fibers have the fastest conduction velocity? Which ones are the slowest? Explain WHY?

In the dark calcium ions flow into photoreceptor cells.   How does calcium lead to a decrease in dark current and prevent the cell from depolarizing too much? What is this process called?

Compare the cutaneous mechanosensory and discriminative pain pathways from the lower body with respect to anatomy and sensory modality. For each pathway, where are the cell bodies and axon terminals of the first-, second-, and third-order neurons? Where does each pathway decussate?  Be as detailed as possible! (8 pts) 

The touch sensitivity of a given area can be measured by the two-point discrimination protocol.  Larger receptive field areas will have a [density] innervation density and would produce a [answer2] two-point discrimination.

Match the function with the appropriate structure of the eye (each will only be used once):