ANP 214 WINTER 2006
REVIEW QUESTION SET—EXAM #1
1. Given what you know about hormones, be able to name three hormones
produced by the pituitary, their targets, and their effects.
2. Harry has a biking accident and injures his back. He is examined by a doctor who
notices that Harry cannot feel pin pricks in his left foot but can feel the sensation
in his right foot as well as his right and left arms and thorax. There appear to be
no problems with the motor activity in any of his appendages. The physician tells
Harry that he thinks a portion of the spinal cord may be compressed and is
causing these symptoms. Where is the problem probably located?
3. Many individuals show allergic reactions to bee and wasp stings. Sometimes
anaphylactic shock can ensue following exposure to these venoms,
characterized by constriction of the respiratory passages and swelling of the
throat. Would acetylcholine or epinephrine be more helpful in relieving these
symptoms? Why?
4. Which type of parasympathetic receptor relies upon G-protein activity? Several
different types of toxins are agonists for these types of receptors, and will
therefore bind to the receptor. What types of symptoms might be observed in a
patient suffering from poisoning by such a toxin?
5. Given your knowledge of the autonomic nervous system, describe how certain
medicines would be effective in treating hypertension (high blood pressure). Be
specific—what type of receptors would be involved, where are they located, and
what do they do?
6. Carl is suffering from hypothyroidism (his thyroid gland does not produce enough
thyroid hormone). How could his physician determine if the problem is due to
problems at the level of the hypothalamus and pituitary or at the level of the
gland itself?
7. If you focus on your finger (held about twelve inches from your face), the rest of
the room is blurred. If you focus on the front of the room, your finger is
blurred. Why is this?
8. Explain what the so-called “blind spot” is. Why is it that we don’t perceive our
blind spots as “holes” in our field of vision?
9. Close examination of an effector organ shows that it receives innervation by way
of two neurons. The first is located in the spinal cord and synapses with a second
in a chain ganglion. Chemical analysis indicates that the postsynaptic neuron
releases acetylcholine and that the effector has many cholinergic receptors.
Based upon this information, what is the effector organ most likely to be?
10. How do lipid-soluble hormones alter cell function?
11. What are the common aspects shared by both the nervous system and the
endocrine system?
12. What would hypersecretion of GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) by the neurons
of the cerebral nuclei result in?
13. What is a sensory homunculus? What do the proportions seen in a sensory
homunculus indicate?
14. Give two ways in which hypersensitivity to pain might occur.
15. What is photo-bleaching, and how does it occur? Why would this result in an
ability to see under a wide variety of light conditions?
16. What is consolidation? How can consolidation occur?