Locomotion and Posture Flashcards
1
Q
What happens if muscles remain unactivated?
A
Fibrillation
Fasciculation
Long term denervation, atrophy and degeneration
2
Q
What is a fibrillation? What causes fibrillations?
A
Tiny contraction caused by activity of a single muscle muscle
May be caused by hypersensitivity or increased AChR expression (not synaptic)
3
Q
What is a fasciculation? What causes fasciculations?
A
Groups of muscle fibres contracting involuntarily
Probably due to a motor unit being synaptically activated as a result of spontaneous activation of a degenerating MN/axon
4
Q
How can fibrillations and fasciculations be distinguished?
A
Fasciculations can be measured on the surface whilst fibrillations require an extracellular electrode
