30 Questions
What is the primary function of a synapse?
To transmit electrical or chemical signals to another cell, muscle, or gland
What is the term for the process by which neurons communicate through electrochemical signals?
Synaptic transmission
What is the 'quantal nature' of synaptic transmission referring to?
The all-or-nothing principle of signal transmission
What is the 'sliding filaments' hypothesis in relation to muscle contraction?
A theory that explains how muscles contract through the sliding of actin and myosin filaments
What is the 'size principle' in relation to the control of skeletal muscles?
The principle that smaller motor units are recruited first during muscle contraction
What is the organization of the somatomotor system in relation to skeletal muscles?
A system that controls the contraction of skeletal muscles
What happens to the tropomyosin bridge when the muscle contracts?
It is displaced
Where are calcium ions stored in the muscle fiber?
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
What is the basic unit of the somatomotor system?
Motor unit
What determines the size of the motor unit?
The size of the motor neuron pool
What is the primary mechanism of transmission of information across a synapse?
Chemical signaling
What is the primary function of Ca2+ in muscle contraction?
Excitation-contraction coupling
What is the role of the T-tubules in muscle contraction?
To transmit the electrical impulse
What is the characteristic of small motor units in skeletal muscle?
They produce weak forces but are resistant to fatigue
What is the result of the binding of myosin to actin?
The muscle contracts
What is the size principle in skeletal muscle recruitment?
Smaller motor units are recruited first, with larger motor units being recruited progressively
What is the effect of high frequencies of stimulation on muscle force generation?
It leads to an increase in force generation
What is the neurotransmitter involved in the neuromuscular junction?
Acetylcholine (ACh)
What is the mechanism by which ACh is released in synaptic transmission?
Release of ACh in packets of vesicles
What is the term for the small voltages produced by the release of ACh in synaptic transmission?
Miniature End Plate Potentials
What is the characteristic of the release of ACh vesicles in synaptic transmission?
Always occurs in a probabilistic fashion
What is the component of skeletal muscle that contains multiple myofibrils?
Muscle fiber
What is the name of the group of scientists who hypothesized the quantal nature of synaptic transmission?
The Sydney gang
What is the term for the multiplication of the amplitude of the evoked response and the spontaneous synaptic potential amplitude?
Multiplication factor
What determines the intensity of a muscle contraction?
The firing rate of motor units
What is the principle that describes the order of recruitment of motor units?
The size principle
What happens to the force produced by a muscle during continuous stimulation?
It decreases due to fatigue
What is the result of summation of twitch forces in a muscle?
A tetanic contraction
What is the relationship between firing rate and force production in a muscle?
Force production is linearly proportional to firing rate
What happens to the force-frequency curves following fatigue?
They shift to the right
Test your understanding of synaptic transmission, axonal transmission, and muscle contraction. Learn about the principles of synaptic function, excitatory and inhibitory synapses, and the process of muscle fiber contraction.
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