14-15. Motor Units & Recruitment Flashcards
Define the motor unit. What does it consist of?
- Functional unit of the neuromuscular system
- Alpha motor neuron + muscle fibers innervated
Where are motoneurons located?
Ventral horn of spinal gray matter
From where does the alpha motor neuron cell body receive info? What kind of info does it receive?
- Receive input from neurons in the motor cortex and brainstem
- Receive additional excitatory and inhibitory input from spinal cord interneurons and muscle afferents
When is an action potential produced in the cell body?
When the membrane potential exceeds threshold potential
What is a motor pool? How many motor pools does a muscle have?
- Motoneurons innervating a specific muscle
- Every muscle has one motor pool
What is the innervation ratio?
Number of muscle fibers innervated by a single motor neuron
What is the relationship between innervation ratio and motor unit type?
Higher innervation ratio = larger alpha, beta, gamma
What are the 2 properties used to classify motor units? Based on these properties, what are the classifications of motor units?
- Fiber size and conduction velocity
- Alpha = largest, fastest
- Beta = next largest, fastest
- Gamma = smallest, slowest
What is the basic function of sensory receptors?
Provide info to the system on its own state and that of its surrounding
What is feedback?
The flow of info from sensory receptors to the CNS
Afferent vs. Efferent neurons
- Afferent provide feedback info to CNS
- Efferent involved in activating muscle
What are muscle spindles? Location?
- Intrafusal fiber = collection of miniature muscle fibers enclosed in a connective tissue capsule
- Located in parallel w/ extrafusal fibers of skeletal muscle
What do muscle spindles primarily sense?
Muscle length and rate of change of muscle length
What is the Ia afferent fiber? Function? Which sensory fiber is Ia afferent?
- Monosynaptic connection to alpha-motoneurons
- Increases excitability of alpha motoneurons w/ muscle from which it originates
- Muscle spindle
What is reciprocal-inhibition?
When a motoneuron excites muscle from which it came & inhibits antagonistic muscle
What are the parts of the reflex arc during the stretch reflex.
- Receptor = muscle spindle
- Afferent pathway = Ia sensory axons
- Integrating center = spinal cord (interneurons, motoneurons)
- Efferent pathway = alpha motor axons
- Effector organ = muscle
Which sensory receptor is Ib afferent?
Golgi tendon organ
What does the golgi tendon organ primarily sense?
Muscle tension