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MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1) For cells that communicate by electrical synapses, the message travels between cells via 1) _______
A) gap junctions.
B) ions moving across the synaptic cleft.
C) the diffusion of neurotransmitters.
D) active transport across the synaptic cleft.
E) passive transport across the synaptic cleft.
2) Which of the following statements about synapses is FALSE? 2) _______

A) Neurotransmitters can move from one cell to another through gap junctions at an electrical
synapse.
B) Communication across electrical synapses is bi-directional.
C) Electrical synapses can be gated.
D) Communication at chemical synapses is slower than at electrical synapses.
E) Most synapses in the nervous system are chemical synapses.
3) Which of the following statements about electrical synapses is FALSE? 3) _______

A) Electrical synapses connect hypothalamic neurons that release tropic hormones.
B) Gap junctions are formed from proteins called connexins.
C) Electrical synapses are found in the brainstem.
D) Electrical synapses are found in the retina.
E) Electrical synapses are usually for small-response, single neuron firing.
4) The chemical synapse is bounded by the ________ neuron, from which neurotransmitters are 4) _______
released across the synaptic cleft, to the ________ neuron, where the receptors for that
neurotransmitter are located.
A) postsynaptic : presynaptic
B) terminal : presynaptic
C) presynaptic : parasynaptic
D) parasynaptic : postsynaptic
E) presynaptic : postsynaptic
5) What type of synapse occurs between an axon terminal of one neuron and the axon from another 5) _______
neuron?
A) axodendritic
B) dendroaxonic
C) somatoaxonic
D) axosomatic
E) axoaxonic
6) What type of synapse occurs between an axon terminal of one neuron and the cell body of 6) _______
another neuron?
A) somatoaxonic
B) dendroaxonic
C) axoaxonic
D) axodendritic
E) axosomatic
7) The neurotransmitter that is released from the presynaptic neuron must diffuse across the 7) _______
________ to reach the postsynaptic neuron.
A) cell body
B) axon hillock
C) dendrite
D) synaptic cleft
E) axon
8) What type of ion channels is necessary for the function of the axon and the axon terminal? 8) _______
A) chemically-gated
B) mechanically-gated
C) receptor-gated
D) ligand-gated
E) voltage-gated
9) Synaptic vesicles store 9) _______

A) neurotransmitter.
B) sodium.
C) potassium.
D) calcium.
E) enzymes that degrade neurotransmitter.
10) Most neurotransmitters are synthesized in what region of a neuron? 10) ______
A) synaptic vesicles
B) rough endoplasmic reticulum
C) cytosol of the axon terminal
D) axon hillock
E) Golgi apparatus
11) Neurotransmitter release occurs by what mechanism? 11) ______

A) secondary active transport
B) endocytosis
C) diffusion
D) exocytosis
E) primary active transport
12) Voltage-gated calcium channels in the axon terminal open in response to which of the following? 12) ______
A) summation of graded potentials at the axon hillock
B) initiation of an action potential in the axon hillock
C) arrival of an action potential at the axon terminal
D) paracrines released from the post-synaptic cell
E) neurotransmitter binding to receptor
13) The influx of calcium into the axon terminal of a chemical synapse is responsible for which of the 13) ______
following?
A) movement of calcium through gap junctions
B) termination of an action potential
C) fusion of vesicles to the membrane and of exocytosis neurotransmitter
D) diffusion of the neurotransmitter across the membrane and into the cleft
E) initiation of an action potential
14) Which of the following is NOT a mechanism whereby neurotransmitters are rapidly removed 14) ______
from the synaptic cleft?
A) diffusion out of the cleft
B) active reuptake across the presynaptic membrane
C) degradation by enzymes
D) binding to the receptor
E) transport back up the axon to be immediately repackaged
15) Neurotransmitters can be reused through the process of ________, where neurotransmitters are 15) ______
transported back across the presynaptic membrane.
A) reuptake
B) regeneration
C) recycling
D) receptor binding
E) resynthesis
16) The extent of neurotransmitter binding to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane is 16) ______
determined primarily by which of the following?
A) neurotransmitter vesicles
B) the concentration of neurotransmitter
C) the distance of the cleft
D) calcium
E) sodium
17) The synaptic delay is caused by the time required for which step of neurotransmitter release? 17) ______
A) the synthesis of neurotransmitter
B) the neurotransmitter to diffuse across the synaptic cleft
C) calcium entry to trigger exocytosis
D) an action potential to move from axon hillock to axon terminal
E) packaging of neurotransmitter into synaptic vesicles
18) What type of receptor is responsible for the rapid opening of ion channels in response to the 18) ______
interaction between the ligand and receptor?
A) potentiotropic
B) ionotropic
C) metabotropic
D) mechanotropic
E) chemotropic
19) The action of any chemical messenger ultimately depends not on the nature of the messenger, 19) ______
but rather on the
A) signal transduction mechanism activated.
B) nerve cell stimulated.
C) affinity of the receptor.
D) organ system activated.
E) half-life of the messenger.
20) The rapid change in membrane potential that occurs when a ligand binds to an ionotropic 20) ______
receptor is caused by which of the following?
A) the rapid gating of the ion channel by G protein
B) the G protein amplification that causes the rapid channel response
C) the large ion gradient across the membrane
D) the rapid G protein response that indirectly links receptor to channel
E) the presence of that protein functioning as both an ionotropic receptor and as the ion
channel
21) Synaptic potentials are produced at what type of synapse? 21) ______
A) axoaxonic, axodendritic, and axosomatic synapses
B) axoaxonic and axodendritic synapses only
C) axoaxonic and axosomatic synapses only
D) pre-axon hillock synapses only
E) axodendritic synapses only
22) At metabotropic receptors, a(n) 22) ______

A) neurotransmitter binding to a receptor opens or closes channels that are a separate protein
from the receptor.
B) ion binding to a receptor opens channels in the plasma membrane.
C) neurotransmitter binding to a receptor stimulates a G-protein, which then activates a
second messenger through one or more enzymatic actions.
D) neurotransmitter binding to a receptor opens or closes channels that are part of the same
protein as the receptor.
E) neurotransmitter binding to a receptor opens channels that are a separate protein from the
receptor.
23) Presynaptic modulation occurs at what type of synapse? 23) ______

A) axodendritic
B) axoaxonic
C) axosomatic
D) dendrodendritic
E) dendrosomatic
24) Metabotropic receptor-induced gating of ion channels requires more time to occur because of 24) ______
which of the following?
A) Ion channels linked to metabotropic receptors must move to the membrane before gating.
B) Metabolic byproducts are required to open those channels.
C) The channels are slower to open.
D) Intracellular calcium must increase before those channels will open.
E) Their gating is linked to a G protein.
25) What is a change in the postsynaptic potential that brings membrane potential closer to 25) ______
threshold called?
A) excitatory postsynaptic potential
B) hyperpolarizing postsynaptic potential
C) suprathreshold postsynaptic potential
D) inhibitory presynaptic potential
E) inhibitory postsynaptic potential
26) The most common mechanism for producing a fast EPSP involves which of the following? 26) ______
A) opening of potassium-selective channels
B) closing of potassium-selective channels
C) opening of sodium-selective channels
D) closing of sodium-selective channels
E) opening of channels that permit both sodium and potassium to flow through
27) What ion directly triggers neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic neuron? 27) ______
A) magnesium
B) sodium
C) potassium
D) chloride
E) calcium
28) An example of a slow excitatory postsynaptic potential that involves closure of potassium 28) ______
channels relies on cAMP produced by what enzyme?
A) G protein
B) phosphodiesterase
C) adenylate cyclase
D) protein kinase A
E) protein kinase C
29) The duration of a slow, excitatory postsynaptic potential mediated by cAMP is driven by the 29) ______
extent of time that cAMP remains active before being degraded by what protein?
A) phosphodiesterase
B) G protein
C) protein kinase A
D) protein kinase C
E) adenylate cyclase
30) Fast excitatory responses not only occur quickly, but they 30) ______
A) remain active for a long period of time.
B) are maintained for minutes to hours.
C) always create a substantial depolarization.
D) end quickly.
E) also have a slow component.
31) The binding of a neurotransmitter to its receptor at an inhibitory synapse can lead to the 31) ______
________ of ________ channels.
A) opening : chloride
B) opening : calcium
C) closure : chloride
D) opening : sodium
E) closure : potassium
32) The binding of a neurotransmitter to its receptor at an inhibitory synapse can lead to the 32) ______
________ of ________ channels.
A) opening : potassium
B) closure : potassium
C) opening : sodium
D) opening : calcium
E) closing : chloride
33) In the absence of active chloride ion transport, opening of chloride channels in a cell that has 33) ______
hyperpolarized will result in which of the following?
A) movement of chloride equally in both directions
B) net movement of chloride out of the cell
C) net movement of chloride into the cell
D) absence of any chloride movement
E) depolarization of the cell
34) In the presence of active chloride ion transport within a neuron, the opening of chloride channels 34) ______
will result in which of the following?
A) net movement of chloride out of the cell
B) net movement of chloride into the cell
C) movement of chloride equally in both directions
D) depolarization of the cell
E) absence of any chloride movement
35) If the resting membrane potential is equal to chloride's equilibrium potential, in which direction 35) ______
will chloride ions move if chloride channels open while the cell remains at resting membrane
potential?
A) inward
B) outward
C) No ions will move through the channel.
D) Ions will move equally in both directions.
E) Three chloride ions will move out for every two chloride ions that move in.
36) In the absence of an active chloride transporter in the plasma membrane, chloride acts to 36) ______
________ membrane potential by resisting any change in membrane potential.
A) modify
B) stabilize
C) depolarize
D) alter
E) hyperpolarize
37) The opening of a chloride channel acts to ________ the development of an action potential at the 37) ______
axon hillock.
A) stimulate B) further C) enhance D) facilitate E) inhibit
38) Convergence in neurophysiology refers to which of the following? 38) ______

A) the presence of EPSPs and IPSPs on a neuron at the same time
B) the level of depolarization required to generate an action potential
C) the communication of several neurons to one postsynaptic cell
D) the summation of graded potentials to determine whether or not an action potential will be
generated
E) the arrival of an action potential at the axon terminal
39) The final integration of postsynaptic potentials that determines whether an action potential is 39) ______
generated occurs within what region of a neuron?
A) axon hillock
B) dendrites
C) cell body
D) axon
E) rough endoplasmic reticulum
40) Divergence in neurophysiology refers to which of the following? 40) ______

A) the arrival of an action potential at the axon terminal
B) the presence of EPSPs and IPSPs on a neuron at the same time
C) the level of depolarization required to generate an action potential
D) the summation of graded potentials to determine whether or not an action potential will be
generated
E) the communication of one neuron to several postsynaptic cells
41) For ionotropic receptors, their ________ response ________ the likelihood that two pulses from the same
neuron 41) ___
will ___
summate
.
A) slow : decreases
B) rapid : decreases
C) rapid : does not affect
D) slow : increases
E) rapid : increases
42) Which of the following would increase the likelihood of an action potential being generated in a 42) ______
postsynaptic cell?
A) presynaptic excitation at an excitatory synapse
B) opening of chloride channels on a postsynaptic cell with no active transport of chloride
ions
C) opening of chloride channels on a postsynaptic cell that actively transports chloride ions
out of the cell
D) presynaptic inhibition at an excitatory synapse
E) opening of potassium channels on the postsynaptic cell
43) Which of the following statements about inhibitory synapses is FALSE? 43) ______
A) The membrane potential of the postsynaptic cell can be hyperpolarized.
B) Opening of chloride channels can generate an IPSP.
C) In presynaptic inhibition, the lower level potential generated interferes with the oncoming
action potential.
D) Opening of potassium channels can generate an IPSP.
E) The postsynaptic cell is less likely to generate an action potential.
44) How does temporal summation create an action potential? 44) ______
A) Two or more postsynaptic potentials are generated in rapid succession at the same synapse
before they can dissipate, thereby exceeding threshold.
B) Potentials are generated on several dendrites at the same time to trigger threshold and the
production of an action potential.
C) It is frequency modulated and of the same amplitude for intensity.
D) Generator potentials are at the same tempo on adjacent neurons.
E) The temporal lobe in the brain stimulates EPSPs to trigger an action potential.
45) As the amplitude of the excitatory postsynaptic potential increases above threshold, the time 45) ______
between each action potential will ________, thereby increasing the ________ of the action
potentials.
A) increase : frequency
B) increase : amplitude
C) not be altered : amplitude
D) decrease : amplitude
E) decrease : frequency
46) Suprathreshold graded potentials within a neuron can generate ________ action potential(s) at 46) ______
the axon hillock, which allows for the ________ of the magnitude of the stimulus.
A) a single : amplitude coding
B) several : amplitude coding
C) a single : frequency coding
D) multiple : amplitude coding
E) multiple : frequency coding
47) Axoaxonic synapses are responsible for ________ the extent of neurotransmitter released at the 47) ______
synapse.
A) increasing
B) decreasing
C) enhancing
D) modulating
E) inhibiting
48) Presynaptic modulation of neurotransmitter release involves modifying ________ at the axon 48) ______
terminal.
A) the vesicles selected for release
B) potassium channels
C) sodium channels
D) calcium influx
E) membrane potential
49) During presynaptic inhibition, the release of a neurotransmitter from the modulating neuron 49) ______
causes which of the following?
A) a hyperpolarization of the neuron it is modulating
B) an IPSP on the postsynaptic cell
C) an increase in neurotransmitter release from the neuron it is modulating
D) a decrease in calcium entry into the axon terminal of the neuron it is modulating
E) an EPSP on the postsynaptic cell
50) Which of the following BEST describes presynaptic facilitation? 50) ______
A) The modulating neuron decreases the effective communication between the cell it is
modulating and its postsynaptic cell.
B) The modulating neuron enhances neurotransmitter release to the postsynaptic cell.
C) The modulating neuron triggers an action potential in the postsynaptic cell.
D) The modulating neuron stabilizes the membrane potential of the postsynaptic cell.
E) The modulating neuron causes an EPSP on the postsynaptic cell.
51) The synthesis of acetylcholine involves an enzyme called ________, which is present within the 51) ______
axonal cytosol and is responsible for converting ________ into acetylcholine + CoA.
A) acetylcholinesterase : acetyl CoA + choline
B) choline acetyl transferase : acetyl CoA
C) choline acetyl transferase : acetyl CoA + choline
D) acetylcholinesterase : choline
E) choline acetyl transferase : choline + acetate
52) Neurons that synthesize and release acetylcholine are called ________ neurons. 52) ______
A) ACTH
B) dopaminergic
C) adrenergic
D) gamma
E) cholinergic
53) Once released, acetylcholine is degraded by extracellular enzymes into what product(s)? 53) ______
A) methylcholine + acetate
B) choline only
C) acetate only
D) acetyl CoA + choline
E) acetate + choline
54) What is transported back into the axon terminal of cholinergic neurons to be resynthesized into 54) ______
active neurotransmitter?
A) choline
B) acetate
C) acetylcholine
D) acetyl CoA
E) epinephrine
55) What type of receptor is both ionotropic and cholinergic? 55) ______
A) muscarinic
B) dopaminergic
C) nicotinic
D) adrenergic
E) serotonergic
56) What type of receptor is both metabotropic and cholinergic? 56) ______
A) muscarinic
B) dopaminergic
C) nicotinic
D) adrenergic
E) serotonergic
57) Which of the following is a neurotransmitter that contains a six-carbon ring with two hydroxyl 57) ______
groups and an amine group?
A) acetylcholine
B) neuroactive peptides
C) amino acids
D) norepinephrine
E) nitric oxide
58) Which of the following couplings between neurotransmitter and neurotransmitter class is 58) ______
INCORRECT?
A) norepinephrine : catecholamine
B) nitric oxide : gas
C) adenosine : amino acid
D) enkephalin : neuropeptide
E) histamine : biogenic amine
59) Histamine has receptors in the hypothalamus, RAS system, stomach, blood vessels, and 59) ______
bronchioles. What creates histamine's differing effects seen in each of these areas?
A) They are dependent on which cell secretes the histamine.
B) Histamine recombines with other endogenous substances once inside the target cell.
C) There are different message transduction systems.
D) Each tissue is different, so no two can have the same effect.
E) All of the effects are a result of membrane dehydration.
60) Biogenic amines are synthesized in what region of a neuron? 60) ______
A) extracellular space
B) rough endoplasmic reticulum
C) axon hillock
D) cytosol of the cell body
E) cytosol of the axon terminal
61) The action of adrenergic receptors identifies them as ________ receptors. 61) ______
A) chemotropic
B) metabotropic
C) mechanically-gated
D) ionotropic
E) voltage-gated
62) Which of the following is a biogenic amine that is NOT classified as a catecholamine? 62) ______
A) norepinephrine
B) dopamine
C) adrenaline
D) epinephrine
E) serotonin
63) What two enzymes catalyze the breakdown of catecholamines? 63) ______
A) acetylcholinesterase and dopa decarboxylase
B) catechol-O-methyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase
C) dopa decarboxylase and phenylethanolamine N methyltransferase
D) monoamine oxidase and phenylethanolamine N methyltransferase
E) monoamine oxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase
64) Epinephrine binds best to which of the following receptor types? 64) ______
A) alpha1 adrenergic receptors
B) alpha2 adrenergic receptors
C) alpha3 adrenergic receptors
D) beta1 adrenergic receptors
E) beta2 adrenergic receptors
65) Fast EPSPs are produced at which of the following types of receptor? 65) ______
A) nicotinic cholinergic only
B) alpha-adrenergic only
C) AMPA receptors only
D) both nicotinic cholinergic and AMPA receptors
E) both nicotinic cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic receptors
66) Histidine, tyrosine, and tryptophan all go on to become what class of neurotransmitters? 66) ______
A) amino acid transmitters
B) neuropeptides
C) biogenic amines
D) purines
E) catecholamines
67) ________ is an amino acid neurotransmitter at excitatory synapses whereas ________ is an amino 67) ______
acid neurotransmitter at inhibitory synapses.
A) Gamma-aminobutyric acid : glycine
B) Glutamate : aspartate
C) Glycine : aspartate
D) Gamma-aminobutyric acid : glutamate
E) Aspartate : glycine
68) Which of the following GABA receptor types is coupled to chloride channels? 68) ______
A) GABAA only
B) GABAB only
C) GABAC only
D) both GABAA and GABAB
E) both GABAA and GABAC
69) Why are amino acid neurotransmitters NOT considered biogenic amines? 69) ______
A) Amino acids are excitatory only, while biogenic amines are not.
B) Amino acids lose their activity when stored, while biogenic amines do not.
C) Amino acids used to make biogenic amines are not used for anything else.
D) Biogenic amines may be taken up by non-conducting cells, while amino acids are not.
E) Biogenic amines still contain an amine group, but are no longer amino acids.
70) What is the most common inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system? 70) ______
A) glycine
B) GABA
C) acetylcholine
D) aspartate
E) glutamate
71) Neuropeptides are synthesized in what region of a neuron? 71) ______

A) within the axon terminal
B) within the vesicles
C) at the dendrite
D) along the axon
E) in the rough endoplasmic reticulum
72) Which of the following compounds is NOT a neuropeptide? 72) ______

A) oxytocin
B) substance P
C) endorphin
D) epinephrine
E) vasopressin
73) Which of the following is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that regulates the sleep-wake cycle? 73) ______
A) substance P
B) vasopressin
C) melatonin
D) oxytocin
E) orexin
74) Nitric oxide is a(n) ________ that functions as a neurotransmitter. 74) ______
A) catecholamine
B) gas
C) amino acid
D) biogenic amine
E) neuroactive peptide
75) Which of the following chemicals is NOT a known neurotransmitter? 75) ______
A) carbon dioxide
B) ATP
C) substance P
D) acetylcholine
E) nitric oxide
76) What chemical targets CB1 receptors? 76) ______

A) tetrahydrocannabinol
B) enkephalin
C) carbonic acid
D) glutamate
E) carbon dioxide
77) Which of the following neurotransmitters is a neuropeptide? 77) ______

A) substance P
B) acetylcholine
C) glycine
D) norepinephrine
E) aspartate
78) Which of the following neurotransmitters is an amino acid neurotransmitter released at 78) ______
excitatory synapses?
A) substance P
B) norepinephrine
C) acetylcholine
D) glycine
E) aspartate
79) Which of the following neurotransmitters is a catecholamine? 79) ______

A) glycine
B) substance P
C) norepinephrine
D) acetylcholine
E) aspartate
80) Which of the following neurotransmitters is a biogenic amine, but not a catecholamine? 80) ______
A) substance P
B) serotonin
C) aspartate
D) acetylcholine
E) norepinephrine
81) Which of the following neurotransmitters is an amino acid neurotransmitter released at 81) ______
inhibitory synapses?
A) acetylcholine
B) aspartate
C) glycine
D) norepinephrine
E) substance P
82) Which of the following neurotransmitters is the most common neurotransmitter in the peri pheral
nervous 82) ___
system? ___
A) aspartate
B) acetylcholine
C) norepinephrine
D) glycine
E) substance P
83) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when sodium channels open? 83) ______
A) depolarization
B) returns to -70 mV
C) membrane stabilization
D) hyperpolarization
E) repolarization
84) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when sodium leak channels close? 84) ______
A) repolarization
B) depolarization
C) hyperpolarization
D) returns to -70 mV
E) membrane stabilization
85) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when potassium channels open? 85) ______
A) depolarization
C) repolarization
86) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when potassium channels close? 86) ______
A) membrane stabilization
B) hyperpolarization
C) returns to -70 mV
D) depolarization
E) repolarization
87) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when channels for an anion with an 87) ______
equilibrium potential of -80 mV open?
A) repolarization
B) membrane stabilization
E) depolarization
88) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when channels for a cation with an 88) ______
A) depolarization
C) repolarization
89) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when channels for a cation with an 89) ______
A) depolarization
D) repolarization
E) hyperpolarization
90) What happens to the resting membrane potential of -70 mV when channels, that permit both 90) ______
sodium and potassium to move through, open?
A) hyperpolarization
C) repolarization
D) depolarization
E) returns to -70 mV
91) Which enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of cAMP? 91) ______

A) catechol-O-methyltransferase
B) monoamine oxidase
C) choline acetyl transferase
D) acetylcholinesterase
E) adenylate cyclase
92) Which enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of acetylcholine? 92) ______

A) acetylcholinesterase
B) adenylate cyclase
D) monoamine oxidase
E) catechol-O-methyltransferase
93) What enzyme catalyzes breakdown of catecholamines in the synaptic cleft and in the 93) ______
mitochondria of the axon terminal of the presynaptic cell?
A) monoamine oxidase
C) acetylcholinesterase
D) choline acetyl transferase
94) What enzyme catalyzes breakdown of catecholamines in the synaptic cleft only? 94) ______
A) catechol-O-methyltransferase
C) monoamine oxidase
D) acetylcholinesterase
E) choline acetyl transferase
95) What enzyme catalyzes breakdown of acetylcholine? 95) ______

A) adenylate cyclase
B) choline acetyl transferase
C) monoamine oxidase
D) catechol-O-methyltransferase
E) acetylcholinesterase
96) All of the following receptor sub-types are metabotropic, EXCEPT 96) ______
A) beta adrenergic.
B) muscarinic cholinergic.
C) nicotinic cholinergic.
D) NMDA
E) alpha adrenergic.
97) All of the following receptor sub-types are ionotropic, EXCEPT 97) ______
A) nicotinic cholinergic.
B) AMPA glutamatergic.
C) kainate glutamatergic.
D) GABAA
E) muscarinic cholinergic.
Figure 8.1
98) What is occurring in Step 2 of Figure 8.1, and how is that process originated? 98) ______
A) receptor that can stimulate a cellular response by gating its ion channel : stimulating a G
protein to gate an ion channel
B) slow receptor can open or close an ion channel by G protein coupling between receptor and
ion channel : neurotransmitter release
C) remove neurotransmitter from the synaptic cleft : reuptake
D) fast receptor opens an ion channel that is part of the receptor : reuptake
E) influx of calcium : depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open
99) Identify the structure on the postsynaptic membrane that bind with the neurotransmitter in Step 99) ______
4 of Figure 8.1, and indicate its function.
A) a receptor that can stimulate a cellular response by gating its ion channel or stimulating a G
B) an enzyme used to remove neurotransmitter from the synaptic cleft
C) endocytotic vesicle storing neurotransmitter
D) a voltage-gated calcium channel for reuptake of Ca2+
E) transporter for the reuptake of released neurotransmitter
100) Identify the structure on the postsynaptic membrane that binds with the neurotransmitter in 100) _____
Step 6 of Figure 8.1, and indicate its function.
A) transporter for the reuptake of released neurotransmitter
B) a voltage-gated calcium channel for reuptake of Ca2+
C) endocytotic vesicle storing neurotransmitter
D) a receptor that can stimulate a cellular response by gating its ion channel or stimulating a G
E) an enzyme used to remove neurotransmitter from the synaptic cleft
101) In Figure 8.1, the overall function of Steps 6-8, which occur simultaneously, is to 101) _____
A) remove neurotransmitter from the synaptic cleft.
B) reuptake Ca2+.
C) stimulate a cellular response by gating its ion channel or stimulating a G protein to gate an
ion channel.
D) release excess neurotransmitter.
E) create endocytotic vesicles for storing neurotransmitter.
102) In Figure 8.1, if the presynaptic neuron is cholinergic, what is the structure in Step 6? 102) _____
A) monoamine oxidase
B) acetylcholinesterase
D) dopa decarboxylase
103) In Figure 8.1, if the presynaptic neuron is adrenergic, what is the structure in Step 6? 103) _____
A) monoamine oxidase or catechol-O-methyltransferase
B) phosphodiesterase
C) acetylcholinesterase
D) choline acetyl transferase
E) dopa decarboxylase
104) In Figure 8.1, what is the event in Step 1 that is required to start the process that leads to the 104) _____
release of neurotransmitter from an axon terminal?
A) migration of newly synthesized neurotransmitter from the soma
B) action potential
C) generator potential from the axon hillock
D) movement of calcium down the axon
E) movement of sodium into the neuron and down the axon
105) In Figure 8.1, what is going on in Step 3? 105) _____

A) calcium is metabolized and packaged into secretory vesicles
B) diffusion of neurotransmitter across the synaptic cleft before binding to the receptor on the
postsynaptic membrane
C) phagocytosis of calcium and its subsequent release
D) calcium activation of pro-neurohormone
E) the migration of the vesicle containing neurotransmitter to the cell membrane and its
release by exocytosis
106) What channels are the most abundant type of voltage-gated channel within the axon terminal 106) _____
and are responsible for the release of neurotransmitter?
A) voltage-gated calcium channels
B) voltage-gated adrenergic channels
C) voltage-gated cholinergic channels
D) voltage-gated potassium channels
E) voltage-gated sodium channels
107) If a membrane is depolarized to +10 mV, which cation will move more frequently through a 107) _____
small cation channel?
A) potassium
B) calcium
C) magnesium
D) sodium
E) hydrogen
108) If the resting membrane potential is -70 mV, which cation will move more frequently through a 108) _____
small cation channel?
A) magnesium
B) sodium
C) calcium
D) hydrogen
E) potassium
109) ________ must be actively taken up by cholinergic neurons in order to synthesize 109) _____
neurotransmitter.
A) Acetylcholine
B) ATP
C) Choline
D) Acetyl
E) DOPA
110) Which adrenergic receptor(s) has the greatest affinity for norepinephrine? 110) _____
A) alpha and beta1
B) alpha1 and beta
C) beta2
D) alpha2 and beta1, beta2
E) alpha3
111) What is the type of receptor present on the axon terminal that responds to the release of 111) _____
neurotransmitter from that same axon terminal?
A) nociceptor
B) reuptake receptor
C) paracrine receptor
D) short loop receptor
E) autoreceptor
TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.
112) When voltage-dependent calcium channels open, calcium moves out of the cell. 112) _____
113) When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, a quick burst of neurotransmitter is released 113) _____
into the synaptic cleft.
114) Excitatory postsynaptic potentials can occur as either fast or slow responses. 114) _____
115) In the absence of active transport of chloride, membrane potential will determine the conc entrati
on of 115) ____
chloride _
ions
across a
neuron's
plasma
membra
ne.
116) Once initiated, excitatory postsynaptic potentials last for hours, especially if a fast receptor is 116) _____
activated.
117) An action potential is triggered if the membrane potential at the axon hillock is depolarized to 117) _____
threshold.
118) IPSPs can only summate with IPSPs, and EPSPs can only summate with EPSPs. 118) _____
119) Two or more graded potentials originating from different synapses on the same neuron at 119) _____
approximately the same time will cause spatial summation.
120) Information on the amplitude of a particular response is coded for by the amplitude of the action 120) _____
potential generated.
121) Presynaptic modulation involves a neurotransmitter from the axon terminal of one neuron 121) _____
affecting the membrane potential of an axon terminal from another neuron on which the first has
synapsed (axoaxonic synapse).
122) An axoaxonic synapse is unique in its ability to affect neurotransmitter release, but not the action 122) _____
potential.
123) The similarity in structure between glutamate and GABA are indicative of the similarity in their 123) _____
function.
124) Connexons are a necessary component of electrical synapses. 124) _____
125) Most neurotransmitters are synthesized in the cytosol and actively transported into synaptic 125) _____
vesicles.
126) Slow postsynaptic potentials can be caused by the opening or closing of ion channels, whereas 126) _____
fast postsynaptic potentials only involve the opening of ion channels.
127) Closing of potassium channels causes a hyperpolarization. 127) _____
128) If the equilibrium potential of a cation is -40 mV, then opening of channels for this cation will 128) _____
result in excitation of the neuron.
129) Neural integration occurs at a neuron's cell body. 129) _____
130) Presynaptic modulation occurs at axosomatic synapses. 130) _____
131) Adenosine is degraded by nucleotidases. 131) _____

132) GABA is a biogenic amine. 132) _____
133) When one neuron has several axon collaterals that communicate with several other neurons, it is 133) _____
called divergence.
134) GABA acts as an autocrine at GABAB receptors. 134) _____
135) EPSPs are at least 10 mV in magnitude at the point of synaptic communication. 135) _____
136) Most communication between neurons in the central nervous system is one-to-one, that is, one 136) _____
presynaptic neuron communicates to just one postsynaptic neuron.
ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper.
137) Information travels through the nervous system along the axons as action potentials. These action potentials
must be transmitted across the synaptic cleft. Describe the process whereby an action potential that has
entered the axon terminal is able to induce a change in membrane potential in the postsynaptic membrane,
following neurotransmitter binding to a metabotropic receptor.
138) Postsynaptic potentials generated by neurotransmitter binding to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
can be excitatory or inhibitory. Describe excitatory postsynaptic potentials and their temporal characteristics.
139) Postsynaptic potentials, generated by neurotransmitter binding to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
can be excitatory or inhibitory. Describe inhibitory postsynaptic potentials and how chloride channels can be
inhibitory without producing an IPSP.
140) Once an action potential reaches the axon terminal, that depolarization stimulates the release of
neurotransmitters that can be modulated by other neurons that synapse with the axon terminal. Describe
how neurotransmitters are released from the axon terminal and how that response is altered by axoaxonic
synapses.
141) The neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle is acetylcholine which binds to nicotinic receptors on skeletal
muscle. Describe the process whereby acetylcholine is synthesized, released, and degraded within the
synapse.
142) Catecholamines are an important class of neurotransmitter. Describe the receptors involved in responding to
catecholamines and how they are degraded.
143) Describe the process of neural integration in neurons, with particular emphasis on summation and how
action potentials are generated within neurons.
144) A number of modified epithelial cells, acting as sensory receptors, innervate a single neuron. Some of these
cells release excitatory neurotransmitters, while others release inhibitory neurotransmitters. How are these
responses integrated by the neuron to determine whether an action potential will be generated or not?
SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question.
145) (Opening / Closing) of a potassium channel results in an excitatory postsynaptic 145) ____________
potential.
146) A neuron actively transports chloride ions out of the cell. Opening of chloride channels 146) ____________
in response to a neurotransmitter binding to receptors on this neuron will produce an
IPSP thereby (exciting / inhibiting) the neuron.
147) A neuron has no active transport systems for chloride ions. Opening of chloride 147) ____________
channels in response to a neurotransmitter binding to receptors on this neuron will
produce (an IPSP / membrane stabilization) thereby inhibiting the neuron.
148) Once the neurotransmitter that has activated a slow receptor has been cleared from the 148) ____________
synapse, the change in membrane potential (will immediately dissipate / can last a while
before dissipating).
149) Temporal summation is less likely to occur when the receptor that has been activated is 149) ____________
a (fast / slow) receptor.
150) The higher the frequency of action potentials generated, the (more / less) 150) ____________
neurotransmitter released at a synapse.
1) A
2) A
3) E
4) E
5) E
6) E
7) D
8) E
9) A
10) C
11) D
12) C
13) C
14) E
15) A
16) B
17) C
18) B
19) A
20) E
21) D
22) C
23) B
24) E
25) A
26) E
27) E
28) C
29) A
30) D
31) A
32) A
33) B
34) B
35) D
36) B
37) E
38) C
39) A
40) B
41) B
42) A
43) C
44) A
45) E
46) E
47) D
48) D
49) D
50) B
51) E
52) E
53) E
54) A
55) C
56) A
57) D
58) C
59) C
60) E
61) B
62) E
63) E
64) E
65) D
66) C
67) E
68) A
69) E
70) B
71) E
72) D
73) E
74) B
75) A
76) A
77) A
78) E
79) C
80) B
81) C
82) B
83) A
84) C
85) D
86) D
87) D
88) D
89) A
90) D
91) E
92) B
93) A
94) A
95) E
96) C
97) E
98) E
99) A
100) E
101) A
102) B
103) A
104) B
105) E
106) A
107) A
108) B
109) C
110) A
111) E
112) FALSE
113) TRUE
114) TRUE
115) TRUE
116) FALSE
117) TRUE
118) FALSE
119) TRUE
120) FALSE
121) FALSE
122) TRUE
123) FALSE
124) TRUE
125) TRUE
126) TRUE
127) FALSE
128) TRUE
129) FALSE
130) FALSE
131) FALSE
132) FALSE
133) TRUE
134) TRUE
135) FALSE
136) FALSE
137) An action potential travels rapidly along the axon as a wave of depolarization. As that depolarization reaches the
axon terminal, the action potential is terminated by an absence of the voltage-gated sodium channels in the axon
terminal. However, the voltage-gated calcium channels in the axon terminal are opened by the depolarization. The
subsequent increase in cytoplasmic calcium in the axon terminal causes the vesicles containing neurotransmitter to
fuse with the presynaptic membrane and release their contents through exocytosis. Thereafter, cytoplasmic calcium
concentrations are rapidly returned to resting values by the short duration that the calcium channel remains open
(milliseconds) and pumps in the presynaptic membrane moving calcium out of the cell. This rapid return of
cytoplasmic calcium to resting values allows subsequent action potentials to repeat the process described above and
release more neurotransmitter. A reduction in cytoplasmic calcium will decrease the release of neurotransmitter.
Once that neurotransmitter is released, it has several possible fates: it could be 1) bound to a receptor on the
postsynaptic membrane, 2) degraded by enzymes around the synaptic cleft, or 3) actively transported back into the
presynaptic terminal. For those neurotransmitters that have bound to metabotropic receptors on the cell membrane,
the binding of a ligand to its receptor will set into motion a chain of reactions that will result in the opening or
closure of an ion channel. Thus, depending upon the ion selectivity of the channel that is affected, the postsynaptic
membrane can either depolarize or hyperpolarize (sodium opening will depolarize as will potassium channel
closure, and vice versa). Some metabotropic receptors are coupled to G proteins, which accounts for their being
described as slow channels. Activation of G protein by receptor-ligand interactions can act in two ways: 1) directly
on an ion channel, or 2) indirectly through the activation of a second messenger cascade. Not only are these
responses slow in comparison to ionotropic receptors, but they can require longer periods of time to decay (i.e., the
chan ge in membrane potential is maintained for minutes to hours).
138) Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) describe a graded depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane that is
generated by neurotransmitter binding to a receptor on the postsynaptic membrane of the dendrites or cell body.
EPSPs are called excitatory because they bring membrane potential closer to the threshold for an action potential.
That depolarization can occur by opening sodium channels or by closing potassium channels. In addition, opening
non-selective cation channels that are equally permeated by potassium and sodium would also lead to a
depolarization due to the stronger electrochemical gradient for sodium at resting membrane potential. The stronger
sodium gradient would result in a greater influx of sodium compared with the efflux of potassium, which would
result in a depolarization of the membrane. Fast EPSPs are very short-lived (i.e., milliseconds). Because responses
generated by ionotropic receptors degrade so quickly, the potential for summation is reduced. Alternatively, EPSPs
generated by metabotropic receptors are slow to develop and persist for longer periods of time, thereby increasing
the possibility that they will summate. Those slow EPSPs generated via metabotropic receptors often involve the
cAMP-dependent closure of potassium channels. The metabotropic receptor is coupled to G protein which, once
activated, will activate the enzyme adenylate cyclase, which converts ATP to cAMP. An increase in cAMP will
activate protein kinase A, which phosphorylates the potassium channel, causing it to close. This depolarization is
maintained until cAMP is degraded by phosphodiesterase.
139) Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) describe a graded hyperpolarization of the postsynaptic membrane,
which is generated by ligand binding to a receptor on the postsynaptic membrane of the dendrites or the nerve cell
body itself. IPSPs are called inhibitory because they take membrane potential further away from the threshold for
an action potential. That hyperpolarization can occur by closing sodium channels, by opening potassium channels,
or by opening chloride channels. With respect to chloride channels, the electrical gradient drives chloride out of the
cell while the chemical gradient drives chloride into the cell. The net movement of chloride will depend upon the
neuron involved: 1) neurons with active transporters that move chloride out of the cell set up an inward chloride
gradient, while 2) in the absence of an active chloride transporter, chloride is at equilibrium. In neurons with active
chloride transporters, opening a chloride channel will initiate the influx of chloride into the cell, thereby causing a
hyperpolarization. However, when chloride is at equilibrium, opening a chloride channel will not alter membrane
potential and thus, does not produce an IPSP. However, this synapse is considered inhibitory because once an EPSP
is initiated, that depolarization will create an electrical gradient that will move chloride into the cell, thereby
decreasing the extent of depolarization from any EPSP. Thus, while opening a chloride channel in a neuron lacking
an active chloride transporter will not alter membrane potential, the mere presence of open chloride channels will
counter any EPSP that might be initiated.
140) Axoaxonic synapses describe a structure where the axon terminal from one neuron synapses with another axon
terminal. These axoaxonic synapses are quite specific for a particular axon terminal. The release of neurotransmitter
from the postsynaptic neuron is determined by the extent of calcium released within the axon terminal. There are
two types of neuromodulation that can occur: presynaptic facilitation and presynaptic inhibition. In presynaptic
facilitation, calcium release in the axon terminal is enhanced, which increases the release of neurotransmitter. For
presynaptic inhibition, calcium release in the axon terminal is decreased, thereby decreasing the amount of
neurotransmitter released from the axon terminal.
141) Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that is synthesized within the axon terminal. Choline acetyl transferase is the
enzyme within the axon terminal that converts acetyl CoA and choline into acetylcholine. The acetylcholine is
packaged within the vesicles for release into the synapse. Once released, acetylcholine diffuses across the synaptic
cleft and binds with a cholinergic receptor. There are two types of cholinergic receptors that are present: muscarinic
and nicotinic. The distribution of these receptors varies by tissue, as does the response originated from these
receptors. Nicotinic receptors are ionotropic and thereby trigger an ion channel opening. Muscarinic receptors are
metabotropic receptors whose activity is triggered via a G protein. In response to activation by acetylcholine,
muscarinic receptors can either open or close ion channels or activate enzymes. The remainder of the acetylcholine
must be removed from the synapse. This is done by the presence of acetylcholinesterase. Acetylcholine is degraded
to choline and acetate. The choline can be actively transported back into the axon terminal and recycled into
acetylcholine.
142) Catecholamines are synthesized within the axon terminal from the amino acid tyrosine. The catecholamines include
dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Once released, dopamine will bind to dopaminergic receptors,
whereas norepinephrine and epinephrine both bind to adrenergic receptors. There are two main classes of
adre beta. Each is divided into multiple subclasses (α 1-2 and β 1-3). Adrenergic receptors are found in the central
nergi nervous system and on effector organs for the sympathetic nervous system. Adrenergic receptors are coupled to G
c protein, making adrenergic receptors metabotropic receptors. At the same time, adrenergic receptors are
recep autoreceptors, meaning that they are present on the presynaptic membrane to modify the release of catecholamines.
tor: Thus, catecholamines released from an axon terminal will bind to adrenergic receptors on both the presynaptic and
alph postsynaptic membrane. Following their release, catecholamines are degraded by monoamine oxidase (MAO) and
a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). MAO and COMT are located within the synaptic cleft, while MAO is also
and found in the axon terminal and some glial cells
143) In order for an action potential to be triggered from a neuron, membrane potential must be above threshold at the
axon hillock. Thus, both axodendritic and axosomatic synapses are involved. The responses that originate from
these synapses are dependent upon the neurotransmitter released and the receptor to which those
neurotransmitters bind. Membrane potential changes originate from ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. The
ionotropic receptors are both a receptor and an ion channel such that neurotransmitter binding to the receptor
induces the ion channel to open, but only for a short duration (milliseconds). However, metabotropic receptors are
coupled to ion channels via G proteins. When activated, they act slowly to open or close ion channels. These
changes in the gating of ion channels are rather long-lived (seconds to hours). Summation occurs when multiple
postsynaptic potentials are generated in rapid succession at the same synapse. If a postsynaptic potential is
generated by repeated bursts of action potentials from the same synapse that occurred before the original
postsynaptic response can completely decay, then a temporal summation has occurred. If the multiple action
potentials that enhance the magnitude of the postsynaptic potential originate from several synapses, then a spatial
summation has occurred. Each of these types of summation can either increase or decrease the likelihood of an
action potential being generated. If two synapses are active but one generates excitatory postsynaptic potentials
(EPSPs) and the other generates inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) of equal magnitude, then the two will
cancel one another. However, if several EPSPs are generated, then it becomes more likely that an action potential
will be generated. In the end, each of the EPSPs and IPSPs are graded potentials that decay as they move from the
dendrite to the cell body and eventually to the axon hillock. Thus, whether an action potential is generated will
depend upon the membrane potential at the axon hillock.
144) These modified epithelial cells will synapse with the dendrites on the body of a neuron. As neurotransmitters are
released onto those dendrites, a graded potential is produced at the postsynaptic membrane that will either
depolarize (excitatory postsynaptic potential) or hyperpolarize (inhibitory postsynaptic potential) the membrane.
From the synapse, the graded potential will decay as it moves along the membrane of the cell body. In contrast,
action potentials do not decay as they move along an axon. Whether or not an action potential is generated is
determined by the magnitude of the membrane potential once it reaches the axon hillock. The axon hillock contains
the ion channels that are necessary for the generation of an action potential. Thus, if the graded potential that
originates at the dendritic synapse and travels along the cell body is still above threshold once it reaches the axon
hillock, an action potential will be generated. Two types of integration, referred to as summation, are spatial and
temporal. Spatial summation refers to a situation where two synapses are activated at the same time such that the
graded potential generated is the sum of the two inputs. Temporal summation refers to two impulses from the
same neuron where the second reaches the synapse before the first has decayed completely. However, the process
of summation does not necessarily lead to the generation of an action potential. The generation of an action
potential is dependent upon the nature of the impulses that are being summed (excitatory or inhibitory) and the
magnitude of those impulses.
145) Closing
146) inhibiting
147) membrane stabilization
148) can last a while before dissipating
149) fast
150) more
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the author’s talents cannot overcome. I would rather be the poorest
Greek whose fate he commiserates, than Lord Byron, if this poem be
a true transcript of his feelings. Out of charity we must hope that his
taste only is in fault, and that the young lordling imagines that there
is something interesting in misery and misanthropy. I the readier
believe this, as I am intimate with one of his lordship’s most attached
friends, and he gives him an excellent character.” The “intimate
friend” alluded to was William Harness who, from the Harrow
schooldays onwards, was chief among Byron’s friends; indeed,
Byron expressly desired to dedicate Childe Harold to Harness, and
only refrained “for fear it should injure him in his profession,”
Harness being then in Holy Orders while Byron’s name was
associated with orgies of dissipation, to be followed later by
calumnious charges which Harness nobly did his best to refute.
It is a tribute to Miss Mitford’s critical faculty that she found little
difficulty in probing the mystery as to the authorship of Waverley, that
“half French, half English, half Scotch, half Gaelic, half Latin, half
Italian—that hotch-potch of languages—that movable Babel called
Waverley!” as she termed it. “Have you read Walter Scott’s
Waverley?” she writes. “I have ventured to say ‘Walter Scott’s,’
though I hear he denies it, just as a young girl denies the imputation
of a lover; but if there be any belief in internal evidence, it must be
his. It is his by a thousand indications—by all the faults and by all the
beauties—by the unspeakable and unrecollectable names—by the
hanging the clever hero, and marrying the stupid one—by the praise
(well deserved, certainly, for when had Scotland such a friend! but
thrust in by the head and shoulders) of the late Lord Melville—by the
sweet lyric poetry—by the perfect costume—by the excellent
keeping of the picture—by the liveliness and gaiety of the dialogues
—and last, not least, by the entire and admirable individuality of
every character in the book, high as well as low—the life and soul
which animates them all with a distinct existence, and brings them
before our eyes like the portraits of Fielding and Cervantes.”
She was, however, at fault over Guy Mannering, being thrown
clear off the scent by Scott’s cleverness in quoting a motto from his
own Lay of the Last Minstrel, an act of which Miss Mitford evidently
thought no author would be guilty: “he never could write Guy
Mannering, I am sure—it is morally impossible!”
Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility she joined with
others in ascribing to any but their real author, but when she learned
that they were Miss Austen’s she let her pen go with a vengeance.
“A propos to novels, I have discovered that our great favourite,
Miss Austen, is my countrywoman; that mamma knew all her family
very intimately; and that she herself is an old maid (I beg her pardon
—I mean a young lady) with whom mamma before her marriage was
acquainted. Mamma says that she was then the prettiest, silliest,
most affected, husband-hunting butterfly she ever remembers; and a
friend of mine, who visits her now, says that she has stiffened into
the most perpendicular, precise, taciturn piece of ‘single
blessedness’ that ever existed, and that, till Pride and Prejudice
showed what a precious gem was hidden in that unbending case,
she was no more regarded in society than a poker or a fire-screen,
or any other thin or upright piece of wood or iron that fills its corner in
peace and quietness. The case is very different now; she is still a
poker—but a poker of whom every one is afraid.” Fortunately this
description was qualified: “After all, I do not know that I can quite
vouch for this account,” especially as the consensus of opinion
regarding Miss Austen is entirely opposed to the above description.
Miss Edgeworth she found too cold and calculating as a writer: “I
never can read Miss Edgeworth’s works without finding the
wonderful predominance of the head over the heart; all her
personages are men and women; ay, and many of them very
charming men and women; but they are all of them men and women
of the world. There is too much knowledge of life, too much hardness
of character—too great a proneness to find bad motives for good
actions, too great a contempt for that virtuous enthusiasm, which is
the loveliest rose in the chaplet of youth; and, to say all in one word,
I never take up her volumes myself without regretting that they were
not written by a man; nor do I ever see a young girl reading them
without lamenting that she will be let into the trick of life before her
time.”
Early in the year 1813 a letter was received from Mr. and Mrs.
Perry, inviting Miss Mitford to stay with them at their house in
Tavistock Square. Mr. Perry was then Editor of the Morning
Chronicle, and the invitation was gladly accepted, not only because
Perry was a friend of her father’s, but because the latter had assured
her that Tavistock House was the rendezvous for many of the
leaders in the political and literary worlds. During this visit she met
Mrs. Opie—“thinner, paler, and much older, but very kind and
pleasant”—and Thomas Moore,—“that abridgement of all that is
pleasant in man,”—with whom she had the “felicity” of dining
frequently. “I am quite enchanted with him,” she wrote. “He has got a
little wife (whom I did not see) and two little children, and they are
just gone into Wales,[17] where he intends to finish a great poem [
Lalla Rookh] on which he is occupied. It is a Persian tale, and he
says it will be his fault if it is not a fine work, for the images, the
scenery, the subject, are poetry itself. How his imagination will revel
among the roses, and the nightingales, and the light-footed Almé!”
Mr. Moore did not forget his little friend and, a year later, gave her
the added pleasure of reading over a part of his manuscript, “and I
hope in a few days to see the whole in print. He has sold it for three
thousand pounds. The little I have seen is beyond all praise and
price,” she wrote enthusiastically. These visits to town were
undoubtedly something more than mere pleasure jaunts, for it is
quite apparent that they were undertaken with a view to keeping the
name and person of Mary Russell Mitford well in the public mind and
eye. Making her headquarters at 33, Hans Place, the residence of
Fanny Rowden’s mother, she spent a whirling fortnight during the
summer of 1814, meanwhile keeping Mrs. Mitford well-informed on
all details, however slight. Under date, June 16, 1814, she writes:
“Yesterday, my own dearest Granny, was, I think, the most fatiguing
morning I ever underwent. Stuffed into a conspicuous place, stared
at, talked to, or talked at, by everybody, dying with heat, worn out
with flattery, I really should have wished myself in heaven or
somewhere worse, if I had not been comforted by William Harness,
who sat behind me, laughing at everybody, and more playful and
agreeable than any one I ever remember.” The occasion was the
Midsummer Breaking-up performance at her old school, during
which an ode she had composed for another function was recited.
“We had no exercises,” she continued, “nothing but music and
recitations, which lasted nearly four hours, and did them great credit.
The March of Mind was well repeated, and received, of course, as
verses commonly are in the presence of the authoress. I was to have
presented the prizes; but to my great comfort Lady Caroline Lamb
arrived, and I insisted on giving her my post.” Then follow particulars
of a carefully-planned programme of sight-seeing, finishing with:
—“How little people in the country know of fashions! I see nothing
but cottage bonnets trimmed with a double plaiting, and sometimes
two double plaitings, and broad satin ribbon round the edge. Gowns
with half a dozen breadths in them, up to the knees before, and
scarcely decent behind, with triple flounces, and sleeves like a
carter’s frock, sometimes drawn, at about two inches distant, and
sometimes not, which makes the arms look as big as Miss Taylor’s
body. I like none of this but the flouncing, which is very pretty, and I
shall bring three or four yards of striped muslin to flounce my gowns
and yours. Tell Mrs. Haw, with my love, to prepare for plenty of
hemming and whipping, and not to steal my needles.... I have been
to see Haydon’s picture, and I am enchanted.... I saw, too, in a print-
shop, the beautiful print of ‘Napoleon le Grand,’ of which you know
there were but three in England, and those not to be sold. Oh, that
any good Christian would give me that picture!”
Napoleon Bonaparte was one of her heroes, and she could never
bring herself to adopt the general view of him held by the populace in
this country. Her friend M. St. Quintin wanted her to translate some
epigrams which he had composed against the late Emperor: “Let Mr.
St. Quintin know that he has brought his pigs to the wrong market,”
was her reply to her father, who had offered her the commission. “I
am none of those who kick the dead lion. Let him take them to Lord
Byron, or the editor of The Times, or the Poet Laureate, or the
bellman, or any other official character.... I hate all these insults to a
fallen foe.”
Later, when the Bellerophon with Napoleon on board—then on his
way to exile—put into Plymouth, Miss Mitford wrote to Sir William
Elford: “Goodness! if I were in your place, I would see him! I would
storm the Bellerophon rather than not get a sight of him, ay, and a
talk with him too. You and I have agreed to differ respecting the
Emperor, and so we do now in our thoughts and our reasonings,
though not, I believe, much in our feelings; for your relenting is pretty
much the same as my—(what shall I venture to call it?)—my
partiality.... But though I cannot tell you exactly what I would do with
the great Napoleon, I can and will tell you what I would not do to him.
I would not un-Emperor him—I would not separate him from his
faithful followers—I would not ransack his baggage, as one would do
by a thief suspected of carrying off stolen goods—I would not limit
him to allowances of pocket-money to buy cakes and fruit like a
great schoolboy—I would not send him to ‘a rock in the middle of the
sea,’ like St. Helena.”
But this is a digression. We left Miss Mitford in London describing
the Hans Place celebrations. The next morning she was taken to the
Freemasons’ Tavern, in Great Queen Street, to attend the meeting of
the Friends against the Slave Trade, where she heard such notables
as Lords Grey and Holland, together with William Wilberforce and
Lord Brougham.
“Lord Grey had all the Ogle hesitation, and my noble patron”
[Holland, to whom her first book was dedicated] “has my habit of
hackering so completely that he scarcely speaks three words without
two stops; but when we can get at his meaning, it is better than any
one’s. My expectations were most disappointed in Brougham, and
most surpassed in Wilberforce. I no longer wonder at the influence
he holds over so large a portion of the ‘religionists,’ as he calls them;
he is a most interesting and persuasive speaker.”
The great day, however, was Friday, June 24, 1814, when the
members of the British and Foreign School Society dined together, at
the Freemasons’ Tavern, on the occasion of their anniversary
meeting. The Marquis of Lansdowne was in the chair, supported by
the Dukes of Kent and Sussex, the Earls of Darnley and Eardley,
and several other eminent persons. Miss Mitford and a party of
friends were in the gallery “to hear splendid speeches and
superlative poetry, and to see—but, alas! not to share—super-
excellent eating.” Miss Mitford was always a great believer in, and
supporter of all efforts which were made to facilitate the education of
the people, and on this occasion her ode on The March of Mind,
which she had specially composed for this event, was set to music
and sung. “I did not believe my own ears when Lord Lansdowne,
with his usual graceful eloquence, gave my health. I did not even
believe it, when my old friend, the Duke of Kent, observing that Lord
Lansdowne’s voice was not always strong enough to penetrate the
depths of that immense assembly, reiterated it with stentorian lungs.
Still less did I believe my ears when it was drunk with ‘three times
three,’ a flourish of drums and trumpets from the Duke of Kent’s
band, and the unanimous thundering and continued plaudits of five
hundred people.... Everybody tells me such a compliment to a young
untitled woman is absolutely unprecedented; and I am congratulated
and be-praised by every soul who sees me.”
This London visit, in Miss Mitford’s twenty-seventh year, was an
excellent piece of stage-management, and if it was due to the
exertions of her father—and we may properly suppose it was—it
stands as one achievement, at least, to his credit.
Home from these festivities, with the plaudits of the crowd and the
congratulations of her friends still ringing in her ears, she had once
again to face the problem of depleted coffers and how to set about
the task of filling them. Each succeeding year there was trouble
about the payment of taxes. “I do hope, my own dear love,” runs one
of the letters, “that you returned to London yesterday, and that you
have been actively employed to-day in getting money for the taxes. If
not, you must set about it immediately, or the things will certainly be
sold Monday or Tuesday. There is nothing but resolution and activity
can make amends for the time that has been wasted at Bocking.”
This last sentence alludes to the Doctor’s absence in
Northumberland attending to the complicated money matters of a
relative. Just previous to this Mrs. Mitford had written: “After sending
off our letter to you, yesterday, Farmer Smith came to tell me what a
piece of work the parish made with him about our unpaid rates. They
have badgered him most unmercifully about sending a summons
and compelling payment, but he is most unwilling to take any step
that might be productive of uneasiness to you.... You will be
astonished to hear that there is none of the farmers more
outrageously violent than Mr. Taylor, who blusters and swears he will
not pay his rates if they do not exact the immediate payment of
yours.” The rates due at this time were for two years—£46 8s. in all,
for which the Doctor had paid £10 on account.
Later on there is a promise of other, though similar trouble, in a
letter to the Doctor addressed in great haste to him, and to three
different localities, as they were not sure of his whereabouts. “I am
sorry to tell you, my dearest father, that Mr. Riley’s clerk has just
been here with a law-paper, utterly incomprehensible; but of which
the intention is to inform you that, if the mortgage and interest be not
paid before next Monday, a foreclosure and ejectment will
immediately take place; indeed I am not sure whether this paper of
jargon is not a sort of ejectment. We should have sent it to you but
for the unfortunate circumstance of not knowing where you are. The
clerk says you ought to write to Mr. Riley, and negotiate with him,
and that if the interest had been paid, no trouble would have been
given. Whether the interest will satisfy them now I cannot tell. No
time must be lost in doing something, as next Monday some one will
be put into possession.”
What a sorry plight the mother and daughter must have been in!
No wonder that we read the daughter’s request for “a bottle of
Russia Oil, to cure my grey locks.” And to make matters worse, there
was pending a Chancery Suit in connection with the sale of Bertram
House, which so soured the Doctor that he would have nothing done
to the garden or grounds. The gravel was covered with moss, the turf
lengthened into pasture, and the shrubberies into tangled thickets—a
picture of desolation which only emphasized the misery of the
financial outlook.
FOOTNOTES:
[17] Miss Mitford was wrong in this; Moore went to a cottage near
Ashbourne, in Derbyshire.
CHAPTER XII
DWINDLING FORTUNES AND A GLEAM OF

SUCCESS
Miss Mitford’s great and growing affection for the simple delights of
the country is amply proved in some of the letters which she wrote to
Sir William Elford during the years 1812-1815, and in the publication
of her poems on Watlington Hill and Weston Grove. Of these two
works Watlington Hill is, on the whole, in praise of coursing, although
it also contains some fine descriptions of scenery which all who
know the locality will recognize and appreciate. The piece was
originally published as a separate poem and dedicated to “James
Webb, Esq., and William Hayward, Esq.,” two coursing friends of her
father’s, the last-named being the owner of the Watlington Farm
which Dr. Mitford made his headquarters whenever a coursing
meeting was in progress in the district. In this form it was published
by A. J. Valpy, but later on was embodied in a volume entitled
Dramatic Scenes, and published in 1827, by George B. Whittaker.
Weston Grove is a description of the place of that name, near
Southampton Water, then the seat of William Chamberlayne, Esq.,
M.P.—another friend of the Mitfords—to whom the poem was
inscribed. Neither of these works had a great sale.
In addition to these Miss Mitford made, in 1813, an attempt to
produce a play entitled The King of Poland, concerning which she
wrote to her father that “it will be in five acts instead of three, and
runs much more risk of being too long than too short. My favourite
character is a little saucy page ... and who is, I think, almost a new
character on the English stage. We have, it is true, pages in
abundance, but then they commonly turn out to be love-lorn damsels
in disguise. Now mine is a bona-fide boy during the whole play.”
Late in the year 1815 we find her telling Sir William Elford that she
has “been teased by booksellers and managers, and infinitely more
by papa, for a novel and a play; but, alas! I have been obliged to
refuse because I can only write in rhyme. My prose—when I take
pains, is stiffer than Kemble’s acting, or an old maid’s person, or
Pope’s letters, or a maypole—when I do not, it is the indescribable
farrago which has at this moment the honour of saluting your eyes.
This is really very provoking, because I once—ages ago—wrote four
or five chapters of a novel, which were tolerably lively and
entertaining, and would have passed very well in the herd, had they
not been so dreadfully deficient in polish and elegance. Now it so
happens that of all other qualities this unattainable one of elegance
is that which I most admire and would rather possess than any other
in the whole catalogue of literary merits. I would give a whole pound
of fancy (and fancy weighs light), for one ounce of polish (and polish
weighs heavy). To be tall, pale, thin, to have dark eyes and write
gracefully in prose, is my ambition; and when I am tall, and pale, and
thin, and have dark eyes, then, and not till then, will my prose be
graceful.”
In this outline of qualifications for the writing of graceful prose Miss
Mitford did herself scant justice, as time has proved; for while her
verse is forgotten, it is her prose alone which has lived and by which
she is remembered. Had personal bulk been the deciding factor,
then, assuredly she would have been ruled out, for in a previous
letter to Sir William—with whom, by the way, she was now on such
intimate terms that personal matters of this sort were freely
discussed—she had informed him of the “deplorable increase of my
beautiful person. Papa talks of taking down the doors, and widening
the chairs, and new hanging the five-barred gates, and plagues me
so, that any one but myself would get thin with fretting. But I can’t
fret; I only laugh, and that makes it worse. I beg you will get a recipe
for diminishing people, and I will follow it; provided always it be not to
get up early, or to ride on horseback, or to dance all night, or to drink
vinegar, or to cry, or to be ‘lady-like and melancholy,’ or not to eat, or
laugh, or sit, or do what I like; because all these prescriptions have
already been delivered by divers old women of both sexes, and
constantly rejected by their contumacious patient.” And this she
supplemented by likening herself to “a dumpling of a person tumbling
about like a cricket ball on uneven ground, or a bowl rolling among
nine-pins.”
Of her prose, we shall find that her earliest descriptive pieces were
contained in the letters sent to Sir William and, although they may
lack the grace of the later finished work written for publication, they
do, at least, prove their author’s possession of “the seeing eye.”
“I am just returned from one of those field rambles which in the
first balmy days of spring are so enchanting. And yet the meadows,
in which I have been walking, are nothing less than picturesque. To a
painter they would offer no attraction—to a poet they would want
none. Read and judge for yourself in both capacities. It is a meadow,
or rather a long string of meadows, irregularly divided by a shallow,
winding stream, swollen by the late rains to unusual beauty, and
bounded on the one side by a ragged copse, of which the outline is
perpetually broken by sheep walks and more beaten paths, which
here and there admit a glimpse of low white cottages, and on the
other by tall hedgerows, abounding in timber, and strewn like a
carpet with white violets, primroses, and oxlips. Except that
occasionally over the simple gates you catch a view of the soft and
woody valleys, the village churches and the fine seats which
distinguish this part of Berkshire, excepting this short and unfrequent
peep at the world, you seem quite shut into these smiling meads.
“Oh, how beautiful they were to-day, with all their train of callow
goslings and frisking lambs, and laughing children chasing the
butterflies that floated like animated flowers in the air, or hunting for
birds’ nests among the golden-blossomed furze! How full of
fragrance and of melody! It is when walking in such scenes, listening
to the mingled notes of a thousand birds, and inhaling the mingled
perfume of a thousand flowers, that I feel the real joy of existence. To
live; to share with the birds and the insects the delights of this
beautiful world; to have the mere consciousness of being, is
happiness.”
That was her picture of Spring. She improved as the year rolled
on, and the next January gave play for her pen in a description of
hoar-frost.
“A world formed of something much whiter than ivory—as white,
indeed, as snow—but carved with a delicacy, a lightness, a precision
to which the massy, ungraceful, tottering snow could never pretend.
Rime was the architect; every tree, every shrub, every blade of grass
was clothed with its pure incrustations; but so thinly, so delicately
clothed, that every twig, every fibre, every ramification remained
perfect; alike indeed in colour, but displaying in form to the fullest
extent the endless, infinite variety of nature. This diversity of form
never appeared so striking as when all the difference of colour was
at an end—never so lovely as when breaking with its soft yet well-
defined outline on a sky rather grey than blue. It was a scene which
really defies description.”
It was during this period, notably in 1812, that Miss Mitford must,
metaphorically speaking, have begun “to feel her feet” in literary
matters. The adulation of her father’s friends in London, backed up
by the reviews, which were, generally, favourable to her work, were
sufficient proof that she had a public and that, in time, she might
hope to secure something like a regular and even handsome income
from her pen. In this she was encouraged by Sir William Elford, who
did all that was possible to impress upon her the necessity for
studied and polished work. To this end he informed her that he was
carefully saving her letters, playfully hinting that they might prove
valuable some day. This may account for the “high, cold, polish”
which William Harness deprecated. The hint was not lost on her and
drew from her an amusing and, as events have proved, prophetic
reply: “I am highly flattered, my dear Sir William, to find that you think
my letters worth preserving. I keep yours as choice as the monks
were wont to keep the relics of their saints; and about sixty years
hence your grandson or great grandson will discover in the family
archives some notice of such a collection, and will send to the
grandson of my dear cousin Mary (for as I intend to die an old maid, I
shall make her heiress to all my property, i.e. my MSS.) for these
inestimable remains of his venerable ancestor. And then, you know,
my letters will be rummaged out, and the whole correspondence be
sorted and transcribed, and sent to the press, adorned with portraits,
and facsimiles, and illustrated by lives of the authors, beginning with
the register of their birth, and ending with their epitaphs. Then it will
come forth into the world, and set all the men a-crowing and talking
over their old nonsense (with more show of reason, however, than
ordinary) about the superiority of the sex. What a fine job the
transcriber of my letters will have! I hope the booksellers of those
days will be liberal and allow the poor man a good price for his
trouble; no one but an unraveller of state cyphers can possibly
accomplish it,”—this in allusion to the occasional illegibility of her
handwriting which elsewhere she described as “hieroglyphics, which
the most expert expounders of manuscripts fail to decipher.”
Reference to her manuscripts recalls the trouble some of them
entailed on young Valpy, the printer—really a long-suffering and
estimable young man—and his staff. For a writer so fully aware of
her shortcomings in this matter, as was Miss Mitford, she was
extraordinarily impatient and exacting. Poor Valpy did his best
according to his lights—and these were not inconsiderable—and
was more than usually anxious in the setting-up of Miss Mitford’s
work, seeing that, as she remarked in one of her letters, he had
“dandled me as an infant, romped with me as a child, and danced
with me as a young woman,” but by reason of which, she unkindly
concluded, he “finds it quite impossible to treat me or my works with
the respect due to authorship.”
Judging by the hundreds of Miss Mitford’s letters which we have
handled, full of closely-written and often indecipherable characters,
we are of opinion that she was singularly fortunate in finding a printer
able and willing to ascertain their meaning. Her condolences with her
friend, Sir William, on his “press-correcting miseries” are, though
extravagant, very diverting and, in these days of trade-unionism,
throw an interesting light on the personnel of Valpy’s little
establishment in Tooke’s Court. “I am well entitled to condole with
you, for I have often suffered the same calamity. It is true that my
little fop of a learned printer has in his employ three regularly-bred
Oxonians, who, rather than starve as curates, condescend to
marshal commas and colons, and the little magical signs which
make the twenty-four letters, as compositors; and it is likewise true,
that the aforesaid little fop sayeth—nay, I am not sure that he doth
not swear—that he always gives my works to his best hands. Now,
as it is not mannerly for a lady to say ‘you fib,’ I never contradict this
assertion, but content myself with affirming that it is morally
impossible that the aforesaid hands can have that connection with a
head which is commonly found to subsist between those useful
members. Some great man or other—Erasmus, I believe—says that
‘Composing is Heaven, preparing for publication Purgatory, and
correcting for the press’—what, must not be mentioned to ‘ears
polite.’ And truly, in my mind, the man was right. From these
disasters I have, however, gained something:—‘Sweet are the uses
of adversity’; and my misfortunes have supplied me with an
inexhaustible fund of small charity towards my unfortunate brethren,
the mal-printed authors. For, whereas I used to be a most desperate
and formidable critic on plural or singular, definite and indefinite,
commas and capitals, interrogations and apostrophes, I have now
learnt to lay all blunders to the score of the compositor, and even
carry my Christian benevolence so far that, if I meet with divers
pages of stark, staring nonsense (and really one does meet with
such sometimes), instead of crying, ‘What a fool this man must be—
I’ll read no more of his writing!’ I only say, ‘How unlucky this man has
been in a compositor! I can’t possibly read him until he changes his
printer.’” Nevertheless, and although there might be an occasional
author glad to shelter himself behind such an excuse, the fact
remains that the work which emanated from Valpy’s press is entitled
to the highest encomiums—despite his three Oxonians who,
choosing the better part, preferred to compose type rather than
sermons.
There is no record that Miss Mitford published anything from the
year 1812—when Watlington Hill appeared—until 1819, the interval
being occupied with various short trips to London, most of which
were, however, only undertaken at the urgent request of friends who
were keen on offering hospitality and entertainment. But for this
hospitality and the assurance that the visits would entail little or no
expense, it is evident that they could not have been indulged in. The
Chancery suit still dragged its weary length along and the Doctor
continued his lengthy jaunts to town, each trip being followed by the
infliction of fresh privation on his wife and daughter. The large retinue
of servants which had been installed when the family took
possession of Bertram House, had dwindled gradually, until at last it
was represented by one, or, at most, two. There was no lady’s maid,
and the footman had been replaced by a village lad who, when not
waiting at table, had to make himself useful in the garden or stable—
the jobs he was really only fitted for. The carriage-horses had gone
and were replaced by animals which could be commandeered for
farm-work; the result being that, as they were oftenest on the farm,
they were rarely available for use in the carriage, thus curtailing the
pleasure of the ladies, both of whom greatly enjoyed this form of
exercise. Finally, when the carriage required to be repaired and
painted, it was found that there was no money in hand, so it was sold
and never replaced.
Mrs. Mitford had the greatest difficulty in getting sufficient
housekeeping money wherewith to meet their quite modest
expenses, until at last the tradesmen refused to supply goods unless
previous accounts were settled and ready money paid for the goods
then ordered. They were really in the most desperate straits for
money—the daughter actually contemplated the opening of a shop—
and in one letter we are told that Mrs. Mitford begged her husband to
send her a one-pound note, as they were in need of bread! This
represented actual want, and yet, through it all, there was scarcely
any diminution in the kennel, the occupants of which were a source
of the greatest anxiety to Mrs. Mitford, who frequently did not know
whither to turn in order to obtain food for them.
In perusing the letters which were written to the various friends of
the family during this period, it is astonishing to find little or no
evidence of the distress under which the writer suffered. Miss
Mitford’s optimism was remarkable, whilst her belief in her father was
so strong that even when she found that their miserable condition
was due to his losses at the gaming-tables, she only commiserated
him and blamed others for cheating and wronging so admirable a
man, an attitude of mind which her mother shared!
It was towards the end of the year 1818 that she seriously thought
of turning her attention to prose, encouraged by Sir William Elford,
who had been struck by her descriptions of the neighbourhood in
which she lived. She conceived the idea of writing short sketches
illustrative of country scenes and manners, and when she had
executed a few of these to her own and mamma’s satisfaction, they
were submitted to Thomas Campbell as possible contributions to the
New Monthly Magazine, of which he was then the Editor. He would
have nothing to do with them, nor did he encourage the writer to try
them elsewhere. Nothing daunted, she offered them to one or two
other Editors, but still met with refusal until she tried the Lady’s
Magazine, the editor of which had the good sense not only to accept
them but asked for more. The result to the magazine was that its
circulation went up by leaps and bounds, and the name of Mary
Russell Mitford, hitherto known only to a limited circle, became
almost a household word.
CHAPTER XIII
LITERARY FRIENDS AND LAST DAYS AT

BERTRAM HOUSE
“What have you been doing, my dear friend, this beautiful autumn?”
wrote Miss Mitford to Sir William Elford, towards the end of 1817.
“Farming? Shooting? Painting? I have been hearing and seeing a
good deal of pictures lately, for we have had down at Reading Mr.
Hofland, an artist whom I admire very much (am I right?), and his
wife, whom, as a woman and an authoress, I equally love and
admire. It was that notable fool, His Grace of Marlborough, who
imported these delightful people into our Bœotian town. He—the
possessor of Blenheim—is employing Mr. Hofland to take views at
Whiteknights—where there are no views; and Mrs. Hofland to write a
description of Whiteknights—where there is nothing to describe.[18] I
have been a great deal with them and have helped Mrs. Hofland to
one page of her imperial quarto volume; and to make amends for
flattering the scenery in verse, I comfort myself by abusing it in prose
to whoever will listen.” The Hoflands were an interesting couple, and
Mrs. Hofland, in particular, became one of Miss Mitford’s dearest
friends and most regular correspondents. She was already an author
of some repute and an extremely prolific writer. In the year 1812 she
wrote and published some five works, including The Son of a
Genius, which had a considerable vogue. Previous to her marriage
with Hofland she had been married to a Mr. Hoole, a merchant of
Sheffield, who died two years after their marriage, leaving her with
an infant four months old and a goodly provision in funds invested.
Owing to the failure of the firm which was handling her money, she
was left on the verge of poverty and had a bitter struggle to secure
enough to live upon. A volume of poems which she published in
1805 brought her a little capital, with which she was enabled to open
a boarding-school at Harrogate; but in this venture she failed, and
then took to writing for a living. In 1808 she married Mr. Hofland, an
event which crowned her troubles for, although outwardly there was
no sign of it, there is every certainty that the overbearing selfishness
of Hofland and his lack of consideration for any but himself, made
their home-life almost unendurable. It will, therefore, be understood
why so much sympathy came to exist between Miss Mitford and her
friend, seeing that they were both suffering from an almost similar
trouble, although the matter was seldom mentioned between them.
Mrs. Hofland was an extremely pious woman, and she was also
something of a busybody, though possibly one whose interest in the
affairs of others was never unpleasant enough to cause trouble.
Hearing of the Elford correspondence, she twitted Miss Mitford with
having matrimonial designs in that quarter, which drew from the latter
the clever retort: “The man is too wise; he has an outrageous fancy
for my letters (no great proof of wisdom that, you’ll say), and
marrying a favourite correspondent would be something like killing
the goose with the golden eggs.”
Another of the notables who came prominently into Miss Mitford’s
life at this period was young Thomas Noon Talfourd, the son of a
Reading brewer. He had been educated at the Reading Grammar
School under Dr. Valpy, and “began to display his genius by
publishing a volume of most stupid poems before he was sixteen.”
The description is, of course, Miss Mitford’s. Nevertheless, he who
wrote such detestable poetry, “wrote and talked the most exquisite
prose.” Upon leaving school he was sent “to Mr. Chitty a-special-
pleading; and now he has left Mr. Chitty and is special pleading for
himself—working under the Bar, as the lawyers call it, for a year or
two, when he will be called; and I hope, for the credit of my
judgment, shine forth like the sun from behind a cloud. You should
know that he has the very great advantage of having nothing to
depend on but his own talents and industry; and those talents are, I
assure you, of the very highest order. I know nothing so eloquent as
his conversation, so powerful, so full; passing with equal ease from
the plainest detail to the loftiest and most sustained flights of
imagination; heaping with unrivalled fluency of words and of ideas,
image upon image and illustration upon illustration. Never was
conversation so dazzling, so glittering. Listening to Mr. Talfourd is
like looking at the sun; it makes one’s mind ache with excessive
brilliancy.”
Miss Mitford’s prophecy as to Talfourd’s future was more than
fulfilled, and he came, at length, not only to illumine the legal
profession but to shed a considerable lustre on literature and the
drama.
A year or two after the writing of the eulogy just quoted, Talfourd
was in Reading in a professional capacity and caused a mild
sensation by his masterly and eloquent pleading. Miss Mitford went,
with her father, to hear him, and was so moved that she wrote the
following sonnet:—
“On Hearing Mr. Talfourd Plead in the Assize-Hall at
Reading, on his first Circuit,
March, 1821.
Wherefore the stir? ’Tis but a common cause

Of cottage plunder: yet in every eye
Sits expectation;—murmuring whispers fly
Along the crowded court;—and then a pause;—
And then a clear, crisp voice invokes the laws,
With such a full and rapid mastery
Of sound and sense, such nice propriety,
Such pure and perfect taste, that scarce the applause
Can be to low triumphant words chained down
Or more triumphant smiles. Yes, this is he,
The young and eloquent spirit, whose renown
Makes proud his birth place! a high destiny
Is his; to climb to honour’s palmy crown
By the strait path of truth and honesty.”
During the year 1817, Sir William Elford lost his wife. She was a
most estimable woman, and although her husband had,
occasionally, called on the Mitfords—turning aside, for that purpose,
from the main road which ran through Reading—in his journeys from
the west to London, she had never made their acquaintance and
only knew of them by repute and what she gathered from the
voluminous correspondence which passed between her husband
and his literary friend. News of this lady’s death drew from Miss
Mitford a charming letter of condolence which must have proved to
Sir William how large a place he held in her thoughts: “Your very
touching letter, my dear friend, brought me the first intelligence of the
dreadful loss you have experienced. I had not even any idea of
danger, or surely, most surely, I should never have intruded on you
those letters whose apparently heartless levity I am now shocked to
remember. I write now, partly in pursuance of your own excellent
system, to avoid, as much as may be, prolonging and renewing your
sorrow, and partly to assure you of our sincere and unaffected
sympathy. We had not, indeed, the happiness of a personal
acquaintance with Lady Elford, but the virtues of the departed are
best known in the grief of the survivors. To be so lamented is to have
been most excellent. And the recollected virtue, which is now agony,
will soon be consolation. God bless and comfort you all!
“I hope soon to hear a better account both of yourself and your
daughters; but do not think of writing out of form or etiquette. Write
when you will, and what you will, certain that few, very few, can be
more interested in your health or happiness than your poor little
friend.”
From this date the correspondence between the two underwent a
considerable change in tone and feeling. It became less stilted,
suggesting to the unbiassed reader the idea that the existence of
Lady Elford had, hitherto, forced the young person at Bertram House
to mind her P’s and Q’s, “which I detest having to do.” She may,
possibly, have adopted this freer style of writing in the hope of
diverting Sir William from thinking of his bereavement. In any case
the happier style of writing thus begun was never abandoned, and
the consequence was that, thereafter, they contained more of that
life and spirit which her friend Harness thought so characteristic of
her writings when she let her words drop without any premeditation,
at the prompting of her emotions.
“I have lately heard a curious anecdote of Mr. Coleridge,” she
writes, “which, at the risk—at the certainty—of spoiling it in the
telling, I cannot forbear sending you. He had for some time
relinquished his English mode of intoxication by brandy and water for
the Turkish fashion of intoxication by opium; but at length the earnest
remonstrance of his friends, aided by his own sense of right,
prevailed on him to attempt to conquer this destructive habit. He put
himself under watch and ward; went to lodge at an apothecary’s at
Highgate, whom he cautioned to lock up his opiates; gave his money
to a friend to keep; and desired his druggist not to trust him. For
some days all went on well. Our poet was ready to hang himself;
could not write, could not eat, could not—incredible as it may seem
—could not talk. The stimulus was wanting, and the apothecary
contented. Suddenly, however, he began to mend; he wrote, he
read, he talked, he harangued; Coleridge was himself again! And the
apothecary began to watch within doors and without. The next day
the culprit was detected; for the next day came a second supply of
laudanum from Murray’s, well wrapped up in proof sheets of the
Quarterly Review.”
As a foil to this she tells, in the next letter, a story of Haydon the
painter—poor, embittered disappointed Haydon, who, later, killed
himself—which she had just heard from Mrs. Hofland. “He was
engaged to spend the day at Hampstead, one Sunday, with some of
the cleverest unbelievers of the age ... and being reproached with
coming so late, said with his usual simplicity, ‘I could not come
sooner—I have been to church.’ You may imagine the torrent of
ridicule that was raised upon him. When it had subsided, ‘I’ll tell ye
what, gentlemen,’ said he, ‘I knew when I came amongst ye—and
knowing this it is not, perhaps, much to my credit that I came—that I
was the only Christian of the party; but I think you know that I will not
bear insult, and I now tell you all that I shall look upon it as a
personal affront if ever this subject be mentioned by you in my
hearing; and now to literature, or what you will!’”

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2) Which of the following statements about synapses is FALSE? 2) _______

3) Which of the following statements about electrical synapses is FALSE? 3) _______

9) Synaptic vesicles store 9) _______

11) Neurotransmitter release occurs by what mechanism? 11) ______

22) At metabotropic receptors, a(n) 22) ______

23) Presynaptic modulation occurs at what type of synapse? 23) ______

38) Convergence in neurophysiology refers to which of the following? 38) ______

40) Divergence in neurophysiology refers to which of the following? 40) ______

71) Neuropeptides are synthesized in what region of a neuron? 71) ______

72) Which of the following compounds is NOT a neuropeptide? 72) ______

76) What chemical targets CB1 receptors? 76) ______

77) Which of the following neurotransmitters is a neuropeptide? 77) ______

79) Which of the following neurotransmitters is a catecholamine? 79) ______

91) Which enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of cAMP? 91) ______

92) Which enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of acetylcholine? 92) ______

95) What enzyme catalyzes breakdown of acetylcholine? 95) ______

105) In Figure 8.1, what is going on in Step 3? 105) _____

124) Connexons are a necessary component of electrical synapses. 124) _____

127) Closing of potassium channels causes a hyperpolarization. 127) _____

129) Neural integration occurs at a neuron's cell body. 129) _____

130) Presynaptic modulation occurs at axosomatic synapses. 130) _____

131) Adenosine is degraded by nucleotidases. 131) _____

134) GABA acts as an autocrine at GABAB receptors. 134) _____

DWINDLING FORTUNES AND A GLEAM OF

LITERARY FRIENDS AND LAST DAYS AT

Wherefore the stir? ’Tis but a common cause

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