Contraction of Whole Muscle

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Page 1. Introduction Thereisawidevariationinthelevelofmuscletensionthatcanbedevelopedwithin agivenmuscle. Page 2. Goals Toexaminethecomponentpartsofasinglemusclecontraction. To understand the relationship between muscle tension and frequency of stimulation,motorunitrecruitment,anddegreeofmusclestretch. Page 3. Factors Affecting Muscle Tension Threefactorswhichaffectmuscletensioninawholemuscle: 1.FrequencyofStimulation 2.Numberofmotorunitsrecruited 3.Degreeofmusclestretch Page 4. Muscle Twitch A muscle twitch is a muscle contraction in response to a single stimulus of adequatestrength. Page 5. Three Phrases of a Muscle Twitch Threephasesofamuscletwitch: 1.Latentperiod thesarcolemmaandtheTtubulesdepolarize calciumionsarereleasedintothecytosol crossbridgesbegintocyclebutthereisnovisibleshorteningofthemuscle 2.Contractionphase myosincrossbridgecyclingcausessarcomerestoshorten 3.Relaxation calciumionsareactivelytransportedbackintotheterminalcisternae crossbridgecyclingdecreasesandend muscletoreturntoitsoriginallength Eachdifferentmusclehasdifferentactualtimeperiodsforeachphase. Thespeedwithwhichthecontractionphaseoccursdependson theweightoftheloadbeinglifted thetypeoffiberscontracting(slowtwitchfibersorfasttwitchfibers) Labelthisdiagram:

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**Nowisagoodtimetogotoquizquestions13:
ClicktheQuizbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen. Workthroughquestions1,2,and3. Afteransweringquestion3,clicktheBacktoTopicbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen.. Togetbacktowhereyouleftoff,clickonthescrollingpagelistatthetopofthescreenandchoose"6. TemporalSummationofTwoStimuli".

Page 6. Temporal Summation of Two Stimuli TemporalSummation(WaveSummation):Occurswhenasecondstimulusofthe same intensity is applied to a muscle before the completion of the relaxation periodofthefirststimulus.Thisresultsinincreasedmuscletension. Page 7. Graph of Temporal Summation In temporal summation, the second peak is higher than the first because the additionalinfluxofcalciumionpromotesasecondcontraction,whichisaddedto thefirstcontraction.

Page 8. Effect of Time Interval on Second Contraction How the time interval between stimuli will affect the height of the second contraction:

Page 9. Questions on Effect of Time Interval Ifyouwaituntilrelaxationiscompletefromthefirststimulus,thengiveasecond stimulustothesamemuscle,temporalsummationwillnotoccur. Page 10. Summation of Multiple Stimuli
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Amuscleisrepeatedlystimulatedwithstimuliofequalintensity.Aplotismadeof muscle tension vs. time. As time proceeds, the interval between stimuli is graduallydecreased. Page 11. Graph of Multiple Stimuli Labelthefivepartstothisgraph:

Treppe: The frequency of stimulation was so slow here that relaxation was complete betweencontractions.Notethatthecurvegoesdowntothebaselineaftereach contraction Thestrengthofcontractiondidincreasebecausemusclecontractioncausesheat to build up in the muscles and muscles then work better when they are warmer. Enzymes can work faster and more efficiently when a muscle is "warmedup". Temporalsummation: Now the frequency of stimulation is increased to the point where relaxation cannottotallyoccur. Theresultisacontinualincreaseintensionwhichmayresultfromincreased availabilityofintracellularcalcium. Incompletetetanus: Now thefrequency of stimulationisincreased tothepoint wherethemuscle exhibits even shorter contractionrelaxation cycles, but there is still some degreeofrelaxationaftereachcontraction. Completetetanus: Whenthefrequencyofstimulationbecomesfastenough,thecontractionsfuse intoasmooth,continuous,totalcontractionwithnoapparentrelaxation. Thisstateisduetoacontinualdepositingofcalciumionsinthecytosol.Asa result,thebindingsitesonactincontinuallystayexposed. Fatigue:
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Tetanuscannotcontinueforever. Withcontinuedrapidstimulation,thereisa buildupofacidiccompoundswhichaffectproteinfunctioning,arelativebut nottotallackofATP,andionicimbalancesresultingfrommembraneactivities. Thiscausesmusclefatigueandthegradualinabilityofthemuscletorespond tostimulation. ** Notethatwithtreppe,themusclerelaxesaftereachstimulus. Withtemporalsummationandincomplete

tetanus, the muscle never really relaxes totally, and with complete tetanus, the muscle stays contracted. Withfatigue,themuscleslowlylosesitstension.

**Nowisagoodtimetogotoquizquestion4:
ClicktheQuizbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen. Clickonthescrollingpagelistatthetopofthescreenandchoose"4.GraphofMultipleStimuli". Afteransweringquestion4,clicktheBacktoTopicbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen. Togetbacktowhereyouleftoff,clickonthescrollingpagelistatthetopofthescreenandchoose"12. SecondFactorAffectingMuscleTension".

Page 12. Second Factor Affecting Muscle Tension Threefactorswhichaffectthedevelopmentofmuscletension: 1.FrequencyofStimulation 2.NumberofMotorUnitsRecruited 3.DegreeofMuscleStretch Page 13. Multiple Motor Unit Summation in the Body Weneedtorecruitfewermotorunitstomovealightobjectcomparedtoaheavy object. ** Starttheanimationbyclickingontheweightbarthatsays"80",thenplacethe sliderbaronfew. Clickthethighmuscle. Thensetthesliderbetweenfewand many and click the thigh again, finally set the slider on "many" and click the muscle.Recordyourdatainthefollowinggraph,ratingtheresponseas: 0.none 1.requiredmucheffort 2.requiredlesseffort 3.easy NumberofMotorUnitsRecruited few intermediate many 80 120 160 200

**Nowisagoodtimetogotoquizquestion5:
ClicktheQuizbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen.. Clickonthescrollingpagelistatthetopofthescreenandchoose"5.NumberofMotorUnits". Afteransweringquestion5,clicktheBacktoTopicbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen. Togetbacktowhereyouleftoff,clickonthescrollingpagelistatthetopofthescreenandchoose"14.Lab SimulationofMultipleMotorUnitSummation".

Page 14. Lab Simulation of Multiple Motor Unit Summation

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Inthisanimationyousetthevoltage,thenrecordtensionvs.time. Subthresholdstimulus:Astimuluswhichdoesnotevokeavisibleresponse.The numberofmotorunitsrespondingisnotsufficienttocausevisiblemovement. Threshold:Theminimumstimuluswhichcanevokearesponse. Recruitment:Astrongerresponsethanthresholdbecauseadditionalmotorunits joinintogenerateanincreaseintension. Maximalstimulus: Whenallmotorunitsarebeingrecruitedandmoreintense stimulusdoesnotevokegreatertension. Page 15. Third Factor Affecting Muscle Tension Threefactorswhichaffectthedevelopmentofmuscletension: 1.FrequencyofStimulation 2.NumberofMotorUnitsRecruited 3.DegreeofMuscleStretch(lengthtensionrelationship) Page 16. Length-Tension Relationship Thestrengthofamusclecontractioncanbealteredbychangingthestartinglength ofamuscle. UnstretchedMuscle: Theoverlappingthin filamentsfromopposite endsofthesarcomere, interfereandconflict witheachother. Thisrestrictsproductive crossbridgebuilding andlesstension develops.The unstretchedmuscle producesarelatively weakcontraction. Moderatelystretched muscle:Maximum tensionisdeveloped whenthereisan optimumoverlapofthin andthickfilamentsso thatallcrossbridges canparticipateinthe contraction. Overstretchedmuscle: Thethinfilamentsare pulledalmosttothe endsofthethick filamentswherelittle tensioncanbe developed.

Page 17. Summary Asinglemuscletwitchiscomposedoflatent,contraction,andrelaxationperiods. Factorsthataffectmuscletension: 1. The Frequency of Stimulation: increasing the frequency provides temporal summationandincreasedmuscletension.
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2. The Number of Motor Units Recruited: stimulation of more motor units producesincreasedmuscletension. 3.Thestartinglengthofthemuscle:Optimumstretchpermitsmaximumbinding ofcrossbridgesformaximummuscletension.

**Nowisagoodtimetogotoquizquestions6,7,and8:
ClicktheQuizbuttonontheleftsideofthescreen. Clickonthescrollingpagelistatthetopofthescreenandchoose"6.ThinFilamentsatEndsofThick Filaments". Workthroughquizquestions68.

Notes on Quiz Questions:

Quiz Question #1. Phase of a Muscle Twitch Thisquestionasksyoutowatchananimation,thenpredictifitoccursduring thelatentperiod,contractionperiodorrelaxationperiod. Quiz Question #2. Phase of a Muscle Twitch Thisquestionasksyoutowatchananimation,thenpredictifitoccursduring thelatentperiod,contractionperiodorrelaxationperiod. Quiz Question #3. Phase of a Muscle Twitch Thisquestionasksyoutowatchananimation,thenpredictifitoccursduring thelatentperiod,contractionperiodorrelaxationperiod. Quiz Question #4. Graph of Multiple Stimuli Inthisquestion,youwillbeaskedtoidentifythepartsofarecordingofmuscle tensionvs.timewhentherearemultiplestimuli.Thefrequencyofstimulito the muscle will increase with time. You will then be asked to match the definitions of treppe, temporal summation, incomplete tetanus, complete tetanusandfatigue. Quiz Question #5. Number of Motor Units Thisquestionallowsyoutopredictthenumberofmotorunitsneededtolifta givenobject. Ifweliftalightobject,butwethinkitmaybeheavy,weusetoomanymotor unitsandweendupapplyingtoomuchmuscletensionforthejob. Quiz Question #6. Thin Filaments at Ends of Thick Filaments Thisquestionasksyoutopredictthestrengthofamusclecontraction,givena diagramofasarcomere. Quiz Question #7. Overlapping Thin Filaments Thisquestionasksyoutopredictthestrengthofamusclecontraction,givena diagramofasarcomere. Quiz Question #8. Ideal Position of Thin Filaments

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 Thisquestionasksyoutodragthethinfilamentstotheirpositionwithinthe sarcomerethatwillprovidetheidealstartingpositionformaximumcontractile force.

Study Questions on the Contraction of Whole Muscle:

1.(Page1.)Thelevelofmuscletensionthatcanbedevelopedwithinagivenmuscleis alwaysconstant. a.true b.false 2.(Page3.)Whatarethethreefactorswhichaffectmuscletensioninawholemuscle? 3.(Page4.)Amusclecontractioninresponsetoasinglestimulusofadequatestrength iscalleda__________________. 4.(Page5.)Whatarethethreephasesofamuscletwitch? 5.(Page5.)Tellifthefollowingarecharacteristicofthelatentperiod,contractionperiod orrelaxationperiodofamuscletwitch. _____________________ a.myosincrossbridgecyclingcausessarcomerestoshorten _____________________ b.novisibleshorteningofthemuscle _____________________ c.calciumionsareactivelytransportedbackintotheterminal cisternae _____________________ d.crossbridgecyclingdecreasesandends _____________________ e.thesarcolemmaandtheTtubulesdepolarize _____________________ f.muscletoreturntoitsoriginallength 6.(Page5.)Whattwofactorswillcausethespeedofthecontractionphaseofamuscle twitchtovary? 7.(Page6.)Whatisitcalledwhenasecondstimulusofthesameintensityisappliedto amusclebeforethecompletionoftherelaxationperiodofthefirststimulusresulting inincreasedmuscletension? 8.(Page7.)Intemporalsummation,whyisthesecondpeakishigherthanthefirst? 9.(Page8.)Iftwostimuliaregiventothesamemuscle, whichwillresultinamore intensesecondcontraction? a.Ifthestimuliaregiven50millisecondsapart b.Ifthestimuliaregiven70millisecondsapart 10.(Page9.)Ifyouwaituntilrelaxationiscompletefromthefirststimulus,thengivea secondstimulustothesamemuscle,whywon'ttemporalsummationoccur? 11.(Page11.)Inwhichofthefollowingstatesdoesthemusclestaycontracted,withno apparentrelaxation? a.temporalsummation b.fatigue c.incompletetetanus d.treppe
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e.completetetanus 12.(Page11.) Inwhichofthefollowingstatesdoesthemusclerelaxtotallybetween stimulations? a.temporalsummation b.fatigue c.incompletetetanus d.treppe e.completetetanus 13.(Page11.)Inwhichofthefollowingstatesdoesthestrengthofcontractionincrease with each stimulation because of a gradual accumulation of calcium ions in the cytosol? a.temporalsummation b.fatigue c.completetetanus d.treppe 14.(Page11.)Inwhichofthefollowingstatesdoesthestrengthofcontractiondecrease witheachstimulation? a.temporalsummation b.fatigue c.completetetanus d.treppe e.incompletetetanus 15.(Page11.)Whichoftheseisnotareasonformusclefatigue? a.ionicimbalancesresultingfrommembraneactivities b.relativebutnottotallackofATP c.depletionofcalciumionsinthecytosol d.abuildupofacidiccompounds 16.(Page12.)Whichoftheseisnotafactorwhichaffectsthedevelopmentofmuscle tension: a.NumberofMotorUnitsRecruited b.DegreeofMuscleStretch c.FrequencyofStimulation d.theyareallfactors 17.(Page13.)Agivenmusclealwaysusesthesamenumberofmotorunits,nomatter whatthemuscleistryingtoaccomplish. a.true b.false 18.(Page14.)Theminimumstimulus(voltage)whichcanevokearesponseisappliedto amuscle.Thisiscalled_________. a.threshold b.amaximalstimulus c.asubthresholdstimulus d.recruitment
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19. (Page 14.) The stimulus (voltage) is applied to a muscle and there is no visible response.Thisiscalled a.threshold b.amaximalstimulus c.asubthresholdstimulus d.recruitment 20. (Page 14.) The stimulus (voltage) is applied to a muscle. When another, more intensestimulusdoesnotevokegreatertensiontheoriginalstimuluswouldbecalled a.athresholdstimulus b.amaximalstimulus c.asubthresholdstimulus d.recruitment

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