Motor Units Flashcards
What is a motor unit
A motor neurone plus all the cells it initiates
What is a neurone
A type of Nerve Cell
What does an axon do
Carries the action potential from the cell body to the neuromuscular junction
What is the neuromuscular junction
Where the motor neurone communicates with the muscle fibres across the synapse
What is the synapse
The space between the neuromuscular junction and the skeletal muscle
What is a motor end plate
An area of the muscle fibre which makes contact with the motor neurone
What is Resting Potential
Where the charge inside the neurone is lower than the charge outside the neurone
What is action potential
The electrical impulse carried down the axon
What is a neurotransmitter
Chemical transmitters which diffuse across a synapse to initiate muscular contraction
What is acetyl choline
The neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction that diffuses across the synapse
What is the all or nothing law
When the action potential threshold is reached all the muscle fibres in a motor unit are initiated if the threshold is not met none are initiated
