Histology of a typical nerve
This part of a neuron carries electrical signals away from the cell body.
axon
Which ion is primarily responsible for the negative resting membrane potential of neurons?
Potassium
Kaira was scrolling through TikTok while sprinting to PBL and didn’t notice a pile of books on the floor. She trips, faceplants, and now can’t feel pain or temperature on the right side of her body below a spinal lesion. Which side of the spinothalamic tract is damaged?
The left side
This ethical principle refers to a patient’s right to make their own informed decisions about their healthcare
autonomy
For the first time at uni, Umut cooked for himself instead of ordering out like every other night. Unfortunately, during this, he touched the hot stove and complained of a sudden, sharp pain in his finger.
Which type of sensory fibre carries this fast, first pain signal?
A-delta fibres
Why are nodes of Ranvier essential for rapid nerve conduction?
Allow saltatory conduction by enabling action potentials to regenerate/ 'jump across' at gaps in the myelin
Which of the following is NOT true about action potentials?
A) They are all-or-none events.
B) Depolarisation is caused by Na⁺ influx.
C) They decrease in amplitude as they travel along the axon.
D) Repolarisation is caused by K⁺ efflux.
C
After a tough couple of days, Lloyds decides to come to pbl wipeout drunk and complains that he can't feel his feet properly.
Which sensory pathway is likely involved in his reduced vibration and fine touch sensation?
The dorsal column pathway
A calculation that combines length and quality of life to measure treatment benefit.
Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY)
After burning his finger when trying to cook, Umut gave up, ate 12 bananas, and fainted straight after. Why would he have fainted?
Excess extracellular potassium caused depolarisation of neurones, blocking normal action potentials and causing fainting.
Name the three main structural parts of a neuron and give one function for each.
Dendrites: Receive incoming signals and conduct them toward the cell body
Soma (cell body): Contains the nucleus/contains organelles/integrates signals
Axon: Conducts impulses away from the cell body
Why does sodium not significantly contribute to the resting membrane potential despite its large gradient?
The membrane has very low permeability to sodium at rest
Which sense pathway crosses to the other side of the spinal chord shortly after entry?
The spinothalamic tract
Name the system where health care is distributed according to who needs it most.
needs-based approach
This type of glial cell in the CNS becomes phagocytic in response to infection or tissue damage.
microglia
Which of the following is NOT a function of neuroglial cells in the CNS?
A) Myelinating axons
B) Phagocytosing debris
C) Transmitting action potentials
D) Supporting metabolic exchange between blood and neurones
C
Why can multiple sclerosis reduce the speed or reliability of action potential conduction?
Loss of myelin disrupts saltatory conduction/ increases current leak along the axon
Where do the cell bodies of first-order sensory neurons reside?
The dorsal root ganglia
This 1998 UK legislation protects patients’ rights and informs fair treatment in clinical practice.
Human Rights Act 1998
A patient refuses to lie down in the ER, insisting “it’s my right.” The nurse tells them they must. Which ECHR Article supports the patient's right to refuse treatment?
Article 9 – freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
Compare oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells in terms of location and function.
Oligodendrocytes: Myelinate multiple axons in the CNS
Schwann cells: Myelinate a single axon segment in the PNS
How does a local anaesthetic prevent pain transmission, and why are small-diameter fibres affected before large-diameter fibres?
Local anaesthetics block voltage-gated sodium channels, preventing action potentials.
Small-diameter fibres are more susceptible because they have less surface area and fewer sodium channels, so conduction is blocked more easily than in larger fibres.
After sprinting down the pitch, Ashir gets tackled by the Hull medic's defender and twists his left ankle, immediately feeling a sharp pain. Which pathway carries this signal to the brain?
A) Left dorsal column → medulla → thalamus → right somatosensory cortex
B) Left spinothalamic tract → thalamus → right somatosensory cortex
C) Right spinothalamic tract → thalamus → left somatosensory cortex
D) Left spinocerebellar tract → cerebellum → somatosensory cortex
B
A patient refuses a medical procedure for religious reasons. Which ECHR Article is most relevant?
Article 9 – Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
How does the organisation of grey and white matter differ between the CNS and PNS?
In the CNS, cell bodies form grey matter and axons form white matter; in the PNS, cell bodies cluster in ganglia and axons form nerves