NPB101L
Laboratory Exercise # 2 Skeletal Muscle Mechanics
1. What is a skeletal muscle fiber? Present (and explain) a diagram that demonstrates the interaction between actin and myosin during contraction. What is the role of calcium, troponin, and tropomyosin?
2. Present the basic anatomy of a motor neuron input into skeletal muscle. How is each muscle fiber innervated? What is a motor unit? What are the advantages/disadvantages of large and small motor units? What kinds of muscles contain these units?
3. In this lab, what biological signal did we record? What was stimulated to elicit that recorded signal? Define threshold. What is the difference between threshold in a muscle versus that in a neuron? What is the relationship between the muscle threshold and the biological signal that was recorded?
4. What is a muscle twitch? How does it differ from a smooth (i.e., a tetanic) muscle contraction? With regards to skeletal muscle, define the term recruitment? What is the importance of recruitment?
5. Present your data (i.e. include an Excel figure suitable for a report; this does NOT mean simply copy and paste your raw data file) representing the relationship between tension development and stimulus intensity. Did tension increase when you set the stimulator to voltages greater than the maximum voltage (explain why or why not)?
6. Define temporal summation. Present the data (i.e. include an Excel figure suitable for a report; this does NOT mean simply copy and paste your raw data file) you collected as the stimulation frequency increased. Compare and contrast the development of tension as a function of stimulus frequency versus as a function of stimulus intensity.
7. Diagram the components of the motor endplate. What is the role of acetylcholine in muscle contraction? What is curare? Present (and explain) your data (i.e. include an Excel figure suitable for a report; this does NOT mean simply copy and paste your raw data file)
1. What is a skeletal muscle fiber? Present (and explain) a diagram that demonstrates the interaction between actin and myosin during contraction. What is the role of calcium, troponin, and tropomyosin?
2. Present the basic anatomy of a motor neuron input into skeletal muscle. How is each muscle fiber innervated? What is a motor unit? What are the advantages/disadvantages of large and small motor units? What kinds of muscles contain these units?
3. In this lab, what biological signal did we record? What was stimulated to elicit that recorded signal? Define threshold. What is the difference between threshold in a muscle versus that in a neuron? What is the relationship between the muscle threshold and the biological signal that was recorded?
4. What is a muscle twitch? How does it differ from a smooth (i.e., a tetanic) muscle contraction? With regards to skeletal muscle, define the term recruitment? What is the importance of recruitment?
5. Present your data (i.e. include an Excel figure suitable for a report; this does NOT mean simply copy and paste your raw data file) representing the relationship between tension development and stimulus intensity. Did tension increase when you set the stimulator to voltages greater than the maximum voltage (explain why or why not)?
6. Define temporal summation. Present the data (i.e. include an Excel figure suitable for a report; this does NOT mean simply copy and paste your raw data file) you collected as the stimulation frequency increased. Compare and contrast the development of tension as a function of stimulus frequency versus as a function of stimulus intensity.
7. Diagram the components of the motor endplate. What is the role of acetylcholine in muscle contraction? What is curare? Present (and explain) your data (i.e. include an Excel figure suitable for a report; this does NOT mean simply copy and paste your raw data file)