Chapter 8: Movement Flashcards
Muscles
Composed of fibers; each fiber is innervated by one motor neuron
Smooth muscle
internal organs, long, thin cells
Skeletal/striated muscle
main movers, long cylindrical fibers with stripes
cardiac muscle
heart; fused fibers contract together
Motor Unit
smallest functional unit
Neuron meets fiber at ?
Neuromuscular junction
Antagonistic muscles work in concert
Flexors vs Extensors
Myasthenia Gravis
autoimmune disorder; antibodies against ACh receptors
Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis
progressive weakness, rapid fatigue of skeletal muscles
Physiological Basis of Myasthenia Gravis
fewer ACh receptors, morphological changes at synapse, action of Acetycholinsterase
Mammalian Muscles
Fast-twitch fibers and slow-twitch fibers
Fast-twitch fibers
contract and relax rapidly, anaerobic (no oxygen), fatigue rapidly, generate greatest force, (ex sprinting)
Slow-twitch fibers
longer contraction time, aerobic (oxygen), resistant to fatigue, generate much less force (walking)
Proprioceptors
Sensitive to position and movement of muscles; detect muscular stretch and tension; allows spinal cord to adjust signal
Two primary types of proprioceptors
Muscle spindles and golgi tendon organs
Muscle Spindles
parallel to muscle, senses stetch; muscle stretched -> signal motor neuron in spinal cord –> muscle contraction; negative feedback –> stretch causes contraction; stimulates Stretch reflex (knee-jerk)