KIN 190 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Hydrolysis, Atp Hydrolysis, Sliding Filament Theory
Document Summary
Somatic motor neurons - neurons that stimulate skeletal muscle fibers to contract. Has an axon that extends from the brain to the spinal cord to a group of skeletal muscle fibers. Muscle fiber contracts in response to an action potential along its sarcolemma and through its system of t-tubules. Neuromuscular junction-synapse between a somatic motor neuron and a skeletal muscle fiber. Synapse - where communication occurs between two neurons. Synaptic cleft - small gap between synaptic end bulb and motor end plate. First cell communicates with the second by releasing a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) Axon terminal (end of motor neuron/axon terminal) divides into a cluster of synaptic end bulbs. Within each end bulb there are hundreds of membrane-enclosed sacs called synaptic vesicles. Inside the synaptic vesicles are thousands of molecules of acetylcholine (neurotransmitter) Motor end plate = region of sarcolemma opposite to end bulbs. Abundant in junctional folds (large surface area for ach: release of acetylcholine.
