You Are Looking at the Electrical Activity at a Receptor

question 171

Multiple Choice

You are looking at the electrical activity at a receptor site on the postsynaptic membrane. The measured potential is -80 millivolts (below the resting potential) . How is this possible?

• A) A neurotransmitter has hyperpolarized the postsynaptic membrane
• B) A neurotransmitter has depolarized the postsynaptic membrane
• C) No neurotransmitters were released into the synaptic cleft
• D) The postsynaptic membrane is an axon
• E) Positive ions have entered ion channels near the receptor site

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Definitions:

Negatively Skewed

Describes a distribution of numerical data where the left tail is longer or fatter than the right, showing that the majority of values are concentrated on the right side of the distribution.

Positively Skewed

A type of distribution in which the right tail is longer, illustrating that a dataset has a large number of higher value outliers.

Histogram

A graphical representation of the distribution of numerical data, showing the frequency of data within specified intervals.

Symmetric

A characteristic of datasets or distributions where the shape to the left and right of the center is mirror-like or evenly balanced.