RE CH32 Flashcards
What is a motor unit?
A single motor neuron and all of the muscle fibers (100-200) it innervates
What is the resting membrane potential of skeletal muscle?
-90 mV
High potassium concentration inside and high sodium concentration outside the cell.
What is the neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle?
Acetylcholine
Which muscles have more than one neuromuscular junction?
Extraocular muscles
An increase in conductance of which ion across the nerve membrane leads to release of Ach into the synaptic cleft?
Ca++
The enzyme choline acetyltransferase (CAT) catalyzes the reaction of which two substrates to form Ach?
Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) and choline
Are motor end-plate cation channels ligand or voltage-gated?
Ligand-gated
Are nerve axon cation channels ligand or voltage-gated?
Voltage-gated.
In response to Ach binding to ligand-gated channels on the motor end plate, what ion flow occurs?
Net inward Na+ current and net outward K+ current causing membrane to become depolarized.
What is the end plate potential?
The resulting post-junction all membrane voltage change. Varies in strength according to the quantity of ACh released.
What are the five polypeptide subunits in fetal ACh nicotinic receptors?
Two alpha, a beta, gamma, and delta subunits
How does the adult ACh receptor differ from fetal?
Gamma is replaced by an epsilon. this causes an increased cation conductance and shortened open time.
Opening of the cation channels requires ACh occupation at which two polypeptide subunits on the ACh receptor?
Both alpha subunits.
What occurs when ACh binds to prejunctional cholinergic receptors?
Enhanced neurotransmitter mobilization and release
Nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade produce its effect by binding to pre or postjunctional cholinergic receptors.
Postjunctional
Tetanic fade may be explained by nondepolarizing muscle relaxants binding to where?
Prejunctional cholinergic receptors.
Which enzyme hydrolyzes ACh in the synaptic cleft?
Acetylcholinesterease (AChE)
What is ACh hydrolyzed to?
Choline and acetate
What happens with the choline byproduct of acetylcholine
It is drawn back into the prejunctional nerve terminal for synthesis of new ACh
What is the MOA of cholinesterase inhibitors?
Inhibit the breakdown of of ACh, increasing the ratio of ACh to antagonist, and allwoing ACh to bind to the receptor more frequently.
What situations cause development of extrajunctional receptors?
Stroke, spinal cord transection, burns, direct muscle damage, prolonged immobility.
How quickly do extrajuctional receptors develop after denervation injuries?
48 hours.
What occurs with administration of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants with extrajunctional receptors?
Resistance develops in affected muscles.
Monitoring in pareitc limbs may underestimate the magnitude of neuromusclar blockade in nonparetic muscles