With regards to neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, which of the following options are true?

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When evaluating the statement about neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, it's helpful to separate the two concepts and check each part against established definitions.
Option A: 'Neurotransmitters are released at the synapse, affect a group of neurons, a muscle cell or another effector cell. Examples of neurotransmitters are GABA and glutamate. Neuromodulators are released in the central and periphery nervous system, affect one or two neurons or effector cells (if they have appropriate receptors). Examples of neuromodulators are dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.'
- The first clause incorrectly claims neurotransmitters affect a group of neurons. In classic synaptic transmission, neurotransmitters are released at a synapse and typically influence one or a small number of postsynaptic targets, not a broad group. The rest of the sentence correctly names GABA and glutamate as neurotransmitters, but the group effect assertion is wrong.
- The second clause says neuromodulators affect one or two neurons or effector cells, which is also inaccurate. Neuromodulators usually diffuse and modulate the activity of a larger population of neurons or circuits, not just one or two targets. However, the examples given (dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline) correctly identify classic neuromodulators.
- In sum, this option contains a mix of correct and incorrect ideas, with the critical misstatement about neurotransmitter scope and the underestimation of neuromodulator spread.
Option B: 'Neurotransmitters are released at the synapse, affect one or two postsynaptic neurons, a muscle cell or another effector cell. Examples of neurotransmitters are GABA and glutamate. Neuromodulators are released in the central and periphery nervous system, affect a group of neurons or effector cells (if they have appropriate receptors). Examples of neuromodulators are dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.'
- The opening clause here aligns with the standard view: neurotransmitters are released at a synapse and typically affect one or a few postsynaptic targets. This is accurate for many classical neurotransmitters like GABA and glutamate.
- The neuromodulator portion correctly states that neuromodulators can be released broadly in the CNS and PNS and can affect a group of neurons or broader effector systems, provided receptors are present. The examples (dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline) are appropriate.
- Overall, this option captures the classic distinctions between neurotransmitters and neuromodulators more accurately than Option A.
Option C: 'Neurotransmitters are released at the synapse, affect one or two postsynaptic neurons, a muscle cell or another effector cell. Examples of neurotransmitters are dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. Neuromodulators are released in the central and periphery nervous system, affect a group of neurons or effector cells (if they have appropriate receptors). Examples of neuromodulators are GABA and glutamate.'
- The first part correctly notes neurotransmitter release at the synapse and typically affecting one or two postsynaptic targets, but the examples are wrong: dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline are classic neuromodulators, not the typical fast-acting neurotransmitters like GABA or glutamate. So this mislabels the examples and confuses categories.
- The neuromodulator portion correctly describes broad effects, but the example swap (GABA and glutamate as neuromodulators) is incorrect, since those are conventional neurotransmitters. This option contains factual inaccuracies in both the examples and the category labeling.
Option D: 'Neurotransmitters are released in the central and periphery nervous system, affect a group of neurons or effector cells (if they have appropriate receptors). Examples of neurotransmitters are dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. Neuromodulators are released at the synapse, affect one or two postsynaptic neurons, a muscle cell or another effector cell. Examples of neuromodulators are GABA and glutamate.'
- The opening statement claims neurotransmitters are released broadly in the CNS and PNS and affect groups of neurons, which is not characteristic of classic neurotransmitters. Moreover, it lists dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline as neurotransmitters, which is inaccurate since they are primarily neuromodulators.
- The second clause says neuromodulators are released at the synapse and affect one or two targets, which contradicts the typical diffuse action of neuromodulators on networks. The examples given (GABA and glutamate) are typical neurotransmitters, not neuromodulators. This option therefore presents multiple incorrect pairings and definitions.
In summary, Option B provides the most accurate alignment with established neuroscience definitions: neurotransmitters released at the synapse affecting one or two postsynaptic targets, with GABA and glutamate as examples; neuromodulators released in the CNS and PNS capable of influencing a group of neurons or broader effector systems, with dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline as examples.

PSYC20006_2025_SM1 PSYC20006 Practice Exam SM1_2025- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

With regards to neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, which of the following options are true?

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