Physiology Flashcards
what are skeletal muscle fibres organised into?
motor units
myofibrils and sarcomeres (Z-line to Z-line)
what does a motor unit consist of?
single alpha motor neurone and all the skeletal muscle fibres it innervates
what are skeletal muscles controlled by?
somatic nervous system
how does the somatic nervous system reach skeletal muscle fibres?
neuromuscular junctions (ACh)
how are neuromuscular junctions formed?
axon of the motor neurone branches
what does the AP spread down in muscle fibres?
T-tubules
what are T-tubules?
extensions of the surface membrane
what are T-tubules in close apposition to?
lateral sacs of SR which contain Ca2+
role of Ca2+ in skeletal muscle fibre contraction
it binds to troponin on actin filaments leading to movement of tropomyosin to uncover the actin binding site
what binds to the uncovered actin binding site?
myosin cross bridges and ATP allows contraction
what is ATP used for in muscle contraction?
contraction of myosin attached to actin
release cross bridges
to take up Ca2+ in the SR
what does gradation of skeletal muscle tension depend on?
- number of muscle fibres (motor unit recruitment helps prevent fatigue)
- tension developed by each contracting fibre: stimulation, length (optimal is resting) and thickness
why can twitches be summated?
the AP is shorter than the duration of the muscle twitch
how are twitches summated
the skeletal muscle receives a second stimulation before it has time to completely relax, the responses are combined to produce greater tension
what happens if the skeletal muscle has no opportunity to relax?
tetanus is produced
two types of skeletal muscle contraction
- isotonic
2. isometric
describe isotonic muscle contraction
used for movement
muscle tension remains constant as muscle length changes
describe isometric muscle contraction
body posture
muscle tension develops at a constant muscle length
how is tension transmitted from muscle to bone?
via elastic components of muscle
list the metabolic pathways for ATP used by the muscle
creatine phosphate
oxidative phosphorylation
glycolysis
three types of muscle fibre
- slow oxidative type 1 fibres (slow twitch)
- fast oxidative type IIa fibres (intermediate)
- fast glycolytic type IIb (fast twitch)
describe slow twitch muscle fibres
prolonged low aerobic work using oxidative metabolism
abundance of mitochondria and myoglobin, resistant to fatigue e.g. walking
when are intermediate muscle fibres used?
moderate activity e.g. jogging
describe fast twitch fibres
use anaerobic metabolism
high intensity e.g. jumping
define reflex
stereotyped response to a specific stimulus
what kind of reflex is the stretch reflex?
monosynaptic spinal reflex