Week 7 - Neuromuscular Physiology

Question 1

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

Answer 1

Decision making

Movement

Question 2

What are the main anatomical features of a neuron?

Answer 2

Dendrites
Soma
Axon hillock
Axon terminal

Question 3

What is the structure and function of dendrites?

Answer 3

At the end of the neuron (like little trees)

They pick up signals from other neurons from the body and pass the signal to the soma.

Question 4

What is the function of the soma?

Answer 4

Contains the nucleus
Protein productions (ribosomes)
Contains endoplasmic reticulum and golgi apparatus
Contains mitochondria

Question 5

What is the function of the axon hillock?

Answer 5

Action potential begins, no rough endoplasmic reticulum

Question 6

What is the funciton of the axon terminal?

Answer 6

Contains the synapses

Acetylcholine released from synapses across synaptic cleft

Question 7

What are the three types of axoplasmic transport?

Describe them

Answer 7

Microtubules (tublin)- run down the of the axon (within it)
Anterograde transport (kinesin)- down the axon, movement protein, transport vesicles from the soma known as motor proteins
Retrotrade transport (dynein)- up the axon, movement protein, transport vesicles from the soma known as motor proteins

Question 8

What is action potential propagation?

And what effect does mylelinated axons had on it?

Answer 8

The electrical signal passes down the axon from cell to cell.
Allows the depolarisation to jump down the axon

Question 9

What are the two types of synapses?

Describe their features

Answer 9

Electrical- mediated by gap junctions, bidirectional, Ions and small molecules pass through, fast
Chemical- require the release of neurotransmitter, slow

Question 10

What do neurons allow communication between?

Answer 10

Other neurons and muscle fibres

Question 11

What do muscle fibres allow communication between?

Answer 11

Other muscle fibres

Question 12

Provide examples of chemical synapses

Answer 12

Neurons
Muscle fibres
CNS

Question 13

What are the ways in which the axon of the CNS connect to the neuron, and name it

Answer 13

Axodendritic- axon connects to dendrite
Axosomatic- axon connects to soma
Axoaxonic- axon connects to axon

Question 14

What are the groups of neurotransmitter?

Answer 14

Cholinergic neurons
Catecholaminergic neurons
Serotonergic neurons
Amino acidergic neurons

Question 15

Describe cholinergic neurons

What enzyme synthesises ACh?

Answer 15

Uses acetylcholine (ACh)
All motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain stem release ACh
Choline acetyltransferase

Question 16

What does the synthesis of ACh look like (reaction)?

Answer 16

Acetyl-CoA + Choline —–> ACh

Enzyme Choline acetyltransferase

Question 17

Provide examples of catecholaminergic neurons

Name the precursor

Answer 17

Dopamine
Noreepinephrine
Epinephrine
Precursor- Tyrosine

Question 18

Provide an example of serotonergic ceurons

Answer 18

Serotonin

Question 19

Provide example of ammino acidergic neurons

Answer 19

Glutamate- excytatory
Glycone
Gammaminobutyric acid (GABA)- Inhibatory

Question 20

How can a neuromuscular activation be measured?

Answer 20

Dynamometer- measures strength (force output)
Megnetic stimulation
Electrical stimulation
Electromyography- looking at the electrical signals within the body

Question 21

How does electromyography work?

Answer 21

Recording changes in electrical potential of a the whole muscle, surface or intramuscular

Question 22

How does magnetic stimulation meausre neurotrasmitter strength?

Answer 22

Areas of central control (in the brain)- pulse magnet somewhere along the motor cortex to stimulate area

Question 23

What are the two ways motor potential can be evoked externally?

Answer 23

Magnetic stimulation

Electrical stimulation

Question 24

What do you measure when using motor evoked potential?

Answer 24

Excitability
-Mwave amplitude 
-Mwave area  (If they both increase, excitability is increasing)
Contractility
-Twitch force
-Time to peak twitch
-Half relaxation time
-Elctromechanical delay
Voluntary activation

Question 25

How does cocaine work?

Answer 25

Dopamine re-uptake transporter is blocked therefore excess dopamine.
Increase happiness –> high feeling