Physiology Flashcards
What are the two phases of the gait cycle?
Stance phase (60% of cycle) Swing phase (40% of cycle)
What are the different sections of the stance phase in the gait cycle?
1- Heel strike (heel hits ground)
2- Mid stance (tibia parallel to ground)
3- Toe-off (knee flexion has begun, toe leaves ground)
(Stance phase is 60% of gait cycle)
What are the different sections of the swing phase in the gait cycle?
1- Early swing (hip flexion begins, knee stays in flexion)
2- Late swing (max hip flexion, full knee extension)
Connective tissue is mainly made up of what?
Collagen
What is the function of Cap Z and tropomodulin?
Cap Z- Caps +ve end of actin filament at z-disc
Tropomodulin- Caps -ve end of actin filament
What is the function of nebulin?
Binds actin monomers (around 200) so therefore regulates then length of actin
What is the role of A-Actinin?
Cross linkings actin filaments at z-disks
a) A typical muscle is controlled by how many motor neurons?
b) Each motor neuron controls how many fibres?
a) Around 100
b) Around 100-1000
What is a muscle unit?
Muscle fibres innervated by a single motor neuron
What is a motor unit?
Muscle unit + motor neuron
What is a motor neuron pool?
Collection of neurons innervating a single muscle (found in ventral horn of spinal cord)
What is a positive allosteric modulator (PAM), aka allosteric enhancer?
Amplifies an agonist effect at a receptor
What is the definition of awareness?
Continuous awareness of the external and internal environment, both past and present, together with the emotions arising from it
What are the results of higher than normal or lower than normal CO2 on the blood vessels of the brain?
High CO2: Vasodilator
Low CO2: Vasoconstrictor (Reduces blood flow to brain, hence hyperventilating- lowering of CO2 in patients with cerebral oedema)
How is arousal (waking from sleep) regulated?
By the reticular activating system (in reticular system running from the brain stem to the thalamus and then out to the whole cortex). Simulation of RAS stimulates activation of the cortex
How can you be awakened from sleep?
Any stimulation of the RAS strong enough to activate it (light, sound, touch), after this +ve feedback from area’s of the cortex (motor/ sensory) keeps the RAS activated
What happens when the RAS becomes less responsive to stimulation?
RAS becomes less responsive after being activated for many hours, this leads to lethargy and decreased alertness
Which neurotransmitters are involved with sleep/ wake cycles?
Noradrenaline (stimulates RAS)
Serotonin (inhibits RAS)
Amphetamines stimulate the release of which neurotransmitter?
Dopamine
Drugs which increase serotonin levels well beyond normal would do what?
Heighten perception of sensory information and cause possible hallucinations
What are the three stages of memory?
Perception, storage and retrieval
What is normal intercranial pressure for a supine adult?
7-15 mmHg
How could seizures raise intercranial pressure?
Increased oxygen/ blood demands to the brain (raising BP and causing vasodilation)
Which neurotransmitters act at each synapse in the autonomic system?
All preganglionic: ACh
Parasympathetic postganglionic: ACh
Sympathetic postganglionic: Noradrenaline
What is the pathophysiolgy of post traumatic epilepsy?
Of a few days glial and macrophage reactions result in scarring (hemosiderin stained depressions) on the cortex, often leading to PTE (More severe or penetrating injuries most like to lead to PTE)
What is the effect of light on melatonin levels?
Melatonin increases as light decreases (so raised melatonin makes you sleepy)
What is the raphe nuclei and what is its role in sleep?
In pons and medulla
Secretes serotonin and has been shown to induce sleep
Discharge of noradrenergic neurons in which two brain areas stimulates wakefulness?
Locus ceruleus and serotonergic neurones
Found in midbrain raphe nucleus
What are the functions of sleep spindles and k-complexes? In what sleep phase are they found?
Found in deep sleep phase N2
Sleep spindles: Inhibit thalamus activity to maintain sleep
K-Complex’s: Block cortical arousal due to non harmful stimuli (eg light touch) and aids memory consolidation
What are the frequency’s of alpha, theta and delta waves?
Alpha (N1): 8-13Hz
Theta (N2): 4-7Hz
Delta (N3): 0.5-2Hz
(1Hz is one oscillation per second)
Where is and what is the role of the pre-optic area?
In hypothalamus
Controls thermoregulation and initiates N3 sleep
In what order do the stages of sleep happen in a normal sleep cycle?
N1 - N2 - N3 - N2 - REM(20%)
(N3 longest in early night, REM longer at end of night)
The older you are the less time you spend in REM sleep
What is the role of adenosine in the CNS?
It is an inhibitory NT (caffeine stimulates by blocking adenosine receptors). Also a vasodilator
- High levels at night lead to sleepiness, low levels in morning lead to wakefulness
Where is melatonin produced and how is it’s production regulated?
PINEAL GLAND: Lack of light is processed by the SCN (Subchiasmatic nucleus), which stimulates release of melatonin (highest levels 12am-8am), it regulates day-night cycles
What is an orthosis?
An externally applied device used to restrict movement or stabilise (e.g. leg callipers)
What often causes unconsciousness with a head injury?
Rotational forces causes the grey and white matter to move at different speeds (white is denser) causing shearing injuries to axons or blood vessels
What property of general anaesthetics such as propofol make them very useful but also cause the ‘hangover effect’?
High lipid solubility (so crosses BBB to act quickly in CNS)
Hangover due to poor blood flow in adipose tissue so takes time to remove accumulated GA from fat
When a ligament is repaired what cell is involved in relaying collagen and which type of collagen is involved?
Fibroblasts
Type III collagen transformed to type 1
The female athlete triad, associated with endurance sports consists of what?
Disordered eating (deficient in calories/ calcium) Amenorrhoea (Shortened luteal phase = low progesterone= an-ovulatory cycles = low oestrogen) Osteoporosis
How does training improve muscle performance?
More proteins and therefore more muscle fibres made
What types of channel are nicotinic ACh receptors and muscarinic ACh receptors?
Nicotine are ion channels (Na/K/Ca)
Muscarinic are G-Protein Coupled (work via second messengers, usually cAMP or phospholipase C)
Where would LMN cell bodies be found?
Grey matter, ventral horn of spinal cord (flexors in dorsal part, extensors in ventral)
What is the difference in connections between skeletal muscle cells and cardiac muscle cells?
Skeletal have no side to side connections whereas cardiac do (allows force to be graduated by activating fewer/ more parts)
How does the innervation of muscles with make fine movements differ to those which don’t?
More fine movements needed = More nerve fibres per muscle fibre (so less fibres innervated by a single nerve)
What is the size principle, and what controls whether it is T1 or T2 muscle fibres which fire?
Small motor neurons activated before LMN
Therefore more signal will be needed to activate T2 (larger neurons) than T1
What is reciprocal inhibition?`
Where spinal inter-neurons inhibit the alpha MN’s in antagonist muscles (e.g. when biceps contract, triceps inhibited). Also stops myotatic reflex in antagonist
What is the myotatic reflex?
Tendon tap- stretch muscle- stim muscle spindles- excite motor neurons- muscle contraction
(So tap a tendon and get muscle contraction)
AKA LIDDELL- SHERRINGTON REFLEX
What are sherrington’s first and second law’s?
1st: Every post spinal nerve root supplies a dermatome (with some small overlap)
2nd: Law of reciprocal inhibition
What is the plantar reflex and the Babinski sign?
Stroke from heel to toe on lateral sole of the foot, normally plantar flexion (toes curl down) observed, the babinski sign is where dorsiflexion is observed and this indicates an UMN lesion
What is the normal withdrawal (flexor) reflex?
Pain makes flexors contract (to move limb away)
What is the difference between area’s controlled by lateral spinal cord pathways and ventromedial spinal cord pathways?
Lateral: Voluntary muscle movement from cortex
Ventromedial: Posture and locomotion from brainstem
What is the role of the ryanodine receptor?
Mediates release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (RyR1 on skeletal muscle, RyR2 on cardiac)
What substance present in skeletal muscle can be used for a quick burst of energy?
Creatine phosphate
What is oxidative phosphorylation?
Where mitochondria use the energy from going hydrogen + oxygen = water to fuse ADP + phosphate to make ATP. Done through a series of enzyme reactions
What is glycolysis?
Uses the conversion of glucose into pyruvate to release energy for ATP creation (from ADP and phosphate)
(Done through a series of 10 enzyme reactions)
(AKA substrate phosphorylation)
Where does the Krebs (aka citric acid) cycle take place and what is it’s function?
Inside mitochondria, it produces energy, uses oxygen and produces CO2, it converts ADP to ATP.
How does the nerve cell ensure exocytosis only happens at the synapse?
Using the V-SNARE protein on the vesicle which has complimentary amino acids to the T-SNARE protein on the membrane of the synapse, they couple together
(Disrupted by botulinum (botox) toxin)
What decides the type of muscle fibre any given fibre will be?
The nerve that innervates it
How do axons join the NMJ during development?
MUSK protein makes ACh cluster at the motor end plate, the growth cone of the axon releases ACh and these signals cause the joining of the synapse
What is excitation-contraction coupling?
Converting of electrical signal into mechanical movement
What is the role of desmin, dystrophin and titin?
Desmin: Connects myofibrils laterally at z-discs
Dystrophin: Connects actin to sarcolemma at z-disc
Titin: Binds myosin to z-line (acts as spring)
What are the A and I bands? What is the H-zone?
A: Dark bands containing myosin (and ends of actin)
I: Light bands containing actin only
H- zone: Contains myosin only
What is actin and what is it made of?
4 kDA Globular protein which makes up thin filament, made up of G-Actin subunits (monomer) to make F-Actin (polymer). Wrapped in tropomyosin and joined to it by troponin
What is myosin?
200 kDA globular protein, has two light chains and a head. It is a subclass of ATPase enzymes
What are the different forms of troponin and their functions?
Troponin C: Binds with calcium to allow conformation changes in TnI
Troponin I: Binds to actin and troponin T
Troponin T: Binds to tropomyosin and TnI
What is tropomyosin?
Double stranded helical coil around actin in the cytoskeleton of all cells. In relaxed state it blocks myosin binding
What type of receptor does ACh bind to on the motor end plate?
Nicotinic
What trigger causes exocytosis of NT’s in a neuron?
An incoming AP first opening Na channels then with further depolarisation opening Ca channels. Ca binds to the vesicles and causes exocytosis
What are the characteristics of alpha and gamma motor neurons?
Alpha: Supply extafusal (normal) muscle fibres, they are large and fast (control force)
Gamma: Supply intrafusal (muscle spindle) fibres, they are smaller and slower (spindle responsiveness)
What are muscle spindles?
They are mechanosensative ion channels which, in parallel with the muscle, wrapped in group 1a sensory axons which increase firing when the muscle is stretched
What are golgi tendon organs?
Detect force of contraction in tendons (run in series), surrounded by sensory 1b neurons, send signals via inhibitory interneurons to inhibit further contraction
Name two differences between muscle spindles and golgi tendon organs.
MS: Run in parallel. Use type 1a sensory axons
GTO: Run in series. Use type 1b sensory axons
Why can glycolitic ATP generation only be used for a very short period?
Because of build up of lactate and pyruvate in the muscle
What are the anatomical differences (size, speed, colour, blood supply) between type 1 and type 2b muscle fibres?
Type I: Small, slow, red (lots of myoglobin/ mitochondria), better blood supply
Type IIb: Larger, faster, white, worse blood supply
What are the physiological differences between type I and type IIb muscle fibres?
(Twitch speed/ respiration type/ method/ fatigue resistance)
Type I: Slow twitch, aerobic, oxidative phosphorylation, fatigue resistant
Type II: Fast twitch, anaerobic, glycolytic, fast to fatigue
What method do Type IIamuscles use for ATP generation?
Both oxidative phosphorylation and glycolytic (anaerobic and aerobic).
What is the gamma loop?
Where gamma motor neurons act on alpha motor neurons to control contraction force
Briefly describe the process of transmitting an AP in a synapse?
AP in, VG Na channels open, leads to opening of VG Ca channels, Ca binds to snare proteins on vesicles causing exocytosis in synaptic cleft, NT’s bind to receptors on post synaptic membrane which opens ion channels (depolarises next neuron)
Name 8 common excitatiory (depolarising) NT’s:
Glutamate (Amino acid), serotonin (MA), histamine (MA), dopamine (CA), adrenaline (CA), noradrenalne (CA), endorphin (peptide), acetylcholine
Name the two inhibitory (hyperpolarisation) amino acids, what type of molecule are they?
GABA (amino acid)
Glycine (amino acid)
Which three neurotransmitters are classed as catecholamines?
Dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline
Which three neurotransmitters are amino acids?
GABA, glycine, glutamate
Name two monoamine neurotransmitters?
Serotonin and histamine
The ventral horn of the spinal cord is made of what type of matter and contains what type of neurons?
Grey matter (cell bodies). Contains the cell bodies of motor neurons (alpha and gamma)
What is the contents of the central canal in the spinal cord?
CSF, it is continuous with the ventricular system and is a remnant of the embryological neural tube
What is a funiculus?
A bunch of nerve fasicles (which are bunches of nerve fibres, enclosed by a perineurium)
What are nociceptors?
Receptors of sensory neurons which respond to potentially damaging stimuli (PAIN)