"A neuromuscular junction (or myoneural junction) is a chemical synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber. It allows the motor neuron to transmit a signal to the muscle fiber, causing muscle contraction."
The study of how the nervous system controls muscle movement.
Muscle Structure and Function: Understanding the anatomy and physiology of muscles, including muscle fiber types, contraction mechanisms, and force production.
Nervous System Control: Understanding the role of the nervous system in controlling muscle activity, including the motor neurons, reflexes, and sensory feedback systems.
Kinematics: Understanding the study of motion, including joint angles, joint velocity, and joint acceleration.
Kinetics: Understanding the study of forces and torques, including muscle forces, joint reaction forces, and moments.
Electromyography (EMG): Understanding the measurement and interpretation of electrical signals produced by muscles during contraction.
Coordination: Understanding the ability to control and coordinate movements of multiple body segments and muscles.
Feedback Control: Understanding how feedback from sensory systems (vision, proprioception, and touch) affects motor control.
Neuromuscular Fatigue: Understanding the physiological changes that occur during prolonged or intense exercise that reduce muscle performance.
Aging and Neuromuscular Control: Understanding the changes in neuromuscular control that occur with age, including reduced muscle strength and balance control.
Neuromuscular Disorders: Understanding the causes and treatments of neuromuscular disorders such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injury.
Local neuromuscular control: This type of control involves the activation of specific muscles or muscle groups, particularly those closest to a joint or point of movement.
Global neuromuscular control: This type of control involves the activation of larger muscle groups, often across multiple joints or body segments, to create more powerful movements.
Automatic neuromuscular control: This type of control is largely reflexive and allows the body to respond quickly to sudden changes in movement or external forces.
Volitional neuromuscular control: This type of control is under conscious control and allows individuals to perform voluntary movements and tasks.
Adaptation neuromuscular control: This type of control allows the body to adapt to changes in the environment or movement patterns, such as when learning a new skill or making adjustments to movement due to pain or injury.
Coordinated neuromuscular control: This type of control involves the synchronized and coordinated activation of multiple muscle groups and joints to produce complex movements or to achieve a specific goal.
Proprioceptive neuromuscular control: This type of control uses feedback from the body's proprioceptors, which are sensors that respond to changes in joint angles, muscle tension, and other internal stimuli, to control movement and maintain posture.
Feedforward neuromuscular control: This type of control involves sending signals to the muscles in anticipation of a movement, allowing for smoother and more efficient movement execution.
Intrinsic neuromuscular control: This type of control involves the inherent biomechanical and neuromuscular properties of the body, including muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity, and how they contribute to movement control and coordination.
Extrinsic neuromuscular control: This type of control involves factors external to the body, such as equipment or environmental conditions, that can affect movement control and require adjustments in neuromuscular control strategies.
"Muscles require innervation to function—and even just to maintain muscle tone, avoiding atrophy."
"In the neuromuscular system, nerves from the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system are linked and work together with muscles."
"Synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction begins when an action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal of a motor neuron."
"Calcium ions bind to sensor proteins (synaptotagmins) on synaptic vesicles, triggering vesicle fusion with the cell membrane and subsequent neurotransmitter release from the motor neuron into the synaptic cleft."
"In vertebrates, motor neurons release acetylcholine (ACh), a small molecule neurotransmitter."
"Acetylcholine diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on the cell membrane of the muscle fiber."
"nAChRs are ionotropic receptors, meaning they serve as ligand-gated ion channels."
"The binding of ACh to the receptor can depolarize the muscle fiber, causing a cascade that eventually results in muscle contraction."
"Neuromuscular junction diseases can be of genetic and autoimmune origin."
"Genetic disorders, such as Congenital myasthenic syndrome, can arise from mutated structural proteins that comprise the neuromuscular junction."
"Autoimmune diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, occur when antibodies are produced against nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on the sarcolemma."
"An action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal of a motor neuron, which activates voltage-gated calcium channels to allow calcium ions to enter the neuron."
"Calcium ions bind to sensor proteins (synaptotagmins) on synaptic vesicles, triggering vesicle fusion with the cell membrane and subsequent neurotransmitter release from the motor neuron into the synaptic cleft."
"Acetylcholine (ACh) is responsible for transmitting signals from the motor neuron to the muscle fiber."
"Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on the sarcolemma bind to acetylcholine and initiate a cascade that leads to muscle contraction."
"When antibodies are produced against nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, as in myasthenia gravis, it can affect the functionality of the neuromuscular junction."
"Motor neurons transmit signals to muscle fibers through the neuromuscular junction, leading to muscle contraction and coordinated movement."
"The release of neurotransmitter, such as acetylcholine, at the neuromuscular junction initiates a series of events that eventually result in muscle contraction."
"Muscles require ongoing innervation and maintenance of muscle tone to avoid muscle atrophy and ensure proper functionality."