Motor Systems: Spinal Cord and the Motor Unit Flashcards
Types of motor organs
Cilia
Glands
Muscles
Types of glands
endocrine
exocrine
Types of exocrine glands
internal
external
Types of muscles
smooth
striated
Types of smooth muscles
visceral
peripheral
Types of striated muscles
cardiac
skeletal
Motor Pools
Clusters of motor neurons in the spinal cord
Lower motor neurons reside in the _____ horn of the spinal cord.
ventral
Neurons that control the proximal muscles are located in the _____.
medial ventral horn
Neurons that control the distal muscles are located in the _____.
lateral ventral horn
Pathways in the medial part of the spinal cord control _____.
posture
Pathways in the lateral spinal cord control _____.
fine movements in extremities
Flexor and extensor muscles work together through _____.
complementary excitation and inhibition
Length change in _____ create the reflex negative feedback control mechanism.
muscle fibers
_____ innervate the extrafusal, force-producing fibers which control posture and movement.
alpha motor neurons
_____ innervate intrafusal muscle fibers (_____) to control tension on the receptors.
gamma motor neurons
muscle spindles
a single _____ innervates many muscle fibers.
alpha motor neurons
_____ spread force evenly across a muscle.
alpha motor neurons
Types of alpha motor neurons
fast fatigable
fast fatigue-resistant
slow
Fast fatigable alpha motor neurons are _____ and have a _____ threshold.
large
high
Fast fatigue-resistant alpha motor neurons are _____ and have a _____ threshold.
medium size
medium
Slow alpha motor neurons are _____ and have a _____ threshold.
small
low
Slow alpha motor neurons are mainly used for _____.
posture
Fast fatigable alpha motor neurons are used for _____.
generating a lot of force
ex: running
At higher frequencies, muscle fiber twitches _____.
summate
Higher force requirements recruit more and more _____.
neurons
Group Ia afferents - known as _____ - respond phasically to _____.
nuclear bag fibers
small stretches
Group II afferents fire tonically to signal _____.
degrees of sustained stretch
_____ help maintain posture and balance, allowing one to walk without consciously thinking about each step.
Monosynaptic stretch reflexes
Feed-forward inhibition enhances the effect of the _____ by suppressing the _____.
active pathway
opposing pathway