Lecture 5: Spinal Cord Reflexes and Locomotion Flashcards
What is a motor unit?
single motor neuron and the muscle fibers that it innervates
What is the motor neuron pool?
all motor neurons innervating a given muscle
What is the size recruitment/principle?
1st: small
2nd: intermediate
3rd: large
if small isnt enough, then inter., then large
What are the functions of group 1a and 2 afferent axons?
- innervate intrafusal muscle fibers
- detect muscle length and stretch
What are the characteristics of small motor units?
- doesnt generate as much force
- can last for a long time
What are the characteristics of large motor units?
- generate large amount of force
- cannot last as long
If there is a change in muscle length, what will the capsule do?
detect it and send the signal to the spinal cord
What is used to measure muscle length?
muscle spindle: capsule + nerves + intrafusal myofibers
What are the characteristics of group 1a fibers?
- measures muscle extension
- once stretched -> fire immediately but goes back
- doesnt last because it’s required for movement
What are the characteristics of group 2 fibers?
once stretched -> slowly fires but remains at high levels of firing
What are the steps of the stretch (myotatic) reflex of the extensor muscle?
- once patella is hit, the extensor muscle takes longer
- elongation activates sensory axons
- afferent sensory nerves go to spinal cord (enters through dorsal horn)
- alpha-motor neuron and sensory neuron innervate the extensor ->cause contraction
What are the steps of the stretch (myotatic) reflex of the flexor muscle?
- sensory axons activate inhibitory neurons -> inhibits other alpha neuron that innervates the flexor muscle
- flexor becomes inhibited -> becomes relaxed -> able to kick forward
What is stretch reflex?
negative feedback regulation of muscle length
What are the 2 paths of alpha-gamma co-activation?
direct and indirect activation
What is direct ativation?
- by upper motor neuron
- muscle gets extended -> aloha activation goes back to muscle -> puts arm back
- muscle spindle already extended, flappy
- no gamma activation
What is indirect activation?
- by gamma loop
- with gamma activation
- gamma afferent axon will transduce a signal to muscle spindle to make it tight again
What does the golgi tendon (inverse myotatic) reflex measure?
force
What is the inverse myotatic reflex?
negative feedback regulation of muscle force
What triggers the tendon organ in the capsule?
increase muscle force in flexor muscle
What is the tendon organ innervated by?
group 1b afferent neurons which measure the stretch of the tendon