Muscles and Nerves

Question 1

What are the functions of muscles?

Answer 1

Movement.
Static support.
Heat production.

Question 2

How are muscles packaged?

Answer 2

Endomysium - packages muscle fibres.
Perimysium - packages groups of muscle fibres into fascicles.
Epimysium - packages fascicles.

Question 3

What are muscles named after their shape?

Answer 3

Longitudinal.
Triangular.
Quadrate.

Question 4

What are the different types of muscle shapes?

Answer 4

Parallel - fascicles all have a common point of attachment and are parallel.
Convergent - fascicles all have a common point of attachment and are not parallel.
Circular - a ring of muscle surrounds a bodily opening.
Pennate - fascicles attach at an angle to a central tendon. Can be uni, bi, or multi.

Question 5

What are the differences between tendons and aponeuroses?

Answer 5

Tendons - connect muscle to bone. They are tough and round.
Aponeuroses - connect muscle to muscle. They are delicate and flat.

Question 6

What are the similarities between tendons and aponeuroses?

Answer 6

Made of dense fibrous CT.
They alter force direction and don’t shorten.

Question 7

What are myotomes and dermatomes?

Answer 7

Areas supplied by a single spinal nerve.
They can be used to test for lesions of the spinal cord.

Motor or sensory loss can be checked by testing joint movement, or an area of skin.

Question 8

How is the nervous system divided?

Answer 8

CNS - brain and spinal cord.

PNS - cranial and spinal nerves.
Divided further into somatic and autonomic.

Question 9

What are motor units?

Answer 9

One motor unit with a varying number of muscle fibres.

Question 10

What are the differences between a somatic and an autonomic pathway?

Answer 10

Somatic - one long axon to skeletal muscle.
Autonomic - two axons to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, or glands.