Exam #3 Flashcards
If small generator potentials reach a critical threshold near -40mV…
Na+ channels and K+ channels will sense the voltage change and open. Causing an all or none action potential to fire.
Action potentials travel to the synapse and lead to…
The release of neurotransmitter.
The junction between the terminal branch of the nerve fiber and muscle fiber is called…
Neuromuscular junction.
What areas of the brain contribute to the program of voluntary movement of muscles?
Primary motor cortex
What areas of the brain contribute to the execution of muscle voluntary movement?
Pyramidal tract
Motor neuron
What areas of the brain provide feedback for the execution of muscle voluntary movement?
Sensory systems Cerebellum Thalamus Basal nuclei Brainstem
The primary motor cortex resides in…
Precentral gyrus
When you stimulate the primary motor cortex (motor homunculus) what is the result?
Twitch in the contralateral side.
What are upper motor neurons?
Reside in the primary motor cortex.
Large betz cells that send long axons down towards the spinal cord.
How does the basal ganglia motor loop help select and initiate movement?
Focuses activity from widespread regions onto the thalamus, then back onto the motor cortex (areas 4 and 6).
The basal ganglia consists of…
Caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus.
Lesions of the caudate (in the basal ganglia) results in…
Huntington’s disease.
Lesions of the substantia nigra (in the basal ganglia) results in…
Parkinson’s disease
What is the cerebellum’s function?
Coordinates muscle movement through direction, timing, and force.
Compares intended movement coming from the motor cortex with actual movement sensation (proprioception) coming in from the joints and muscles.
What is the pathway of voluntary movement in the CNS?
- Motor cortex axons descend through medulla.
- Cross over/decussate.
- Descend pyramidal tract.
- Synapse onto alpha motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord.
Action potentials in ___________ lead to muscle contraction.
Alpha motor neurons
the axons branch and innervate multiple muscle fibers
Loss of motor neurons either sporadically or inherited causes…
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Motor neurons degenerate and die leading to muscle atrophy.
Brain and cognition is still intact but muscle cannot be commanded to move.
Simple reflex skeletal muscle movement is mediated at…
The spinal cord level.
The 5 parts of a reflex arc are:
- Receptor - muscle spindle
- Afferent neuron - sensory dorsal root ganglion.
- CNS - spinal cord
- Efferent neuron - alpha motor neuron
- Effector - muscle
What do weak or absent reflexes indicate?
Damage is done to the spinal cord at the reflex site. Sensory nerve damage Motor nerve damage Spinal cord damage Tendon/muscle damage
What do exaggerated reflexes indicate?
Damage is usually done below the site of spinal cord damage as the brain generally inhibits downstream alpha motor neurons.
What are skeletal muscles connected to?
Bones via tendons.
What are bundles of long multinucleated cells?
Myofibers
Inside myofibers are an extensive network of intracellular filament proteins called…
Myofibrils
intracellular proteins = actin and myosin
What is the origin of skeletal muscles?
Connection to stationary bone.
What is the insertion of skeletal muscles?
Connection to movable bone.
Isotonic muscle contractions result in…
Muscle SHORTENING.
The load is easily lifted.
Isometric muscle contractions result in…
Tension WITHOUT muscle shortening.
The load is too heavy to lift.
The sarcomere still shortens but series elastic elements (tendon) lengthen.
What neuron makes synapses with skeletal muscle cells to help the muscle contract?
Alpha motor neurons.
How do alpha motor neurons help with muscle contraction?
Release ACh onto the target muscle, which binds to the Nicotinic ACh Receptor.
The neuromuscular junction illustrated the precise alignment of…
Presynaptic active zones with postsynaptic nACh receptors.
T or F: Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor is a g-protein coupled channel.
FALSE
It is a ligand gated ion channel.
What happens once 2 acetylcholine molecules bind to the nicotinic receptor?
The receptor conformation changes, it channel opens, Na+ flows in, and the postsynaptic muscle cell becomes depolarized.
How is neuromuscular signaling ceased?
Acetylcholine is destroyed by acetylcholintesterase.
How does curare, the plant toxin, act on the muscles of hunted prey?
It inhibits the nACh receptor and stops the neuromuscular junction signaling.
If a prey is injected with curare, is it safe to eat?
Yes. Curare is too large and highly charged to pass through the lining of the digestive tact.
What is myasthenia gravis caused by?
Auto-antibodies to the nACh.
How does botox work?
Botulinum toxin inhibits SNARE protein exocytosis machinery and ACh release, so muscles don’t receive the signal to contract and wrinkles are relaxed.
What is the sarcomere, a muscle contractile unit, composed of?
Actin: scaffold for myosin.
Myosin: motor ratchet protein that binds and pushed actin.
Tropomyosin: covers actin binding sites during rest.
Troponin: binds Ca++ and move tropomyosin.
How does myosin form cross-bridges with actin?
Utilizes ATP to act like a molecular motor and pulls neighboring actin closer together. This shortens the sarcomere length and generates tension (force).
Regulated by Ca++, troponin, and tropomyosin.
What happens when Ca++ binds to troponin?
Troponin changes shape which displaces tropomyosin, allowing actin and myosin to interact.
Once action potential is propagates down the muscle sarcolemma and t-tubules…
Ca++ is released from intracellular stores in sarcoplasmic reticulum.
What is the function of DHP-Ryanodine receptors?
Mediate Ca++ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Physically links T-tubule to sarcoplasmic reticulum.
What causes Ca++ channels to open from the SR?
Voltage change in T-tubule.
Ca++ efflux from SR to cytosol.
What is required to release the myosin head from actin?
ATP.
If no ATP rigor mortis occurs.
What events at the NMJ occur to lead to Ca++ influx?
Actin/myosin cross-bridge cycling.
Pumping of Ca++ back into SR.
What is ATP used for in muscle contraction?
Myosin release.
Ca++ pumped into the ER.
What does force come from in muscle contraction?
Actin/myosin cross-bridging.
T or F: skeletal muscle fiber diameter affects contraction strength.
True.
Add more myofibrils (actin/myosin cross-bridging) more strength is produced.