Human Physiology Protocol 4

Miguel Fontes
me16023
24 October 2016

EXCITABLE TISSUES. SKELETAL MUSCLE

Aim:
Use nerve-muscle preparation to examine the key features of muscle
functioning.
Tasks:
1. Determination and recording the m. gastrocnemius threshold of
stimulation. Determination of stimulation plateau.
2. Determination of the muscle twitch duration.
3. Observation of incomplete and complete tetani. Determination of the
maximal interval between stimuli when complete tetanus can be
observed.
4. Examining of the length–tension relationship in skeletal muscle.

Materials:
Computer program-simulator (e. g. SimMuscle).

Results:

Figura 1 Isometric muscle twitch

Figura 2 Incomplete tetanic contractions – summation of
twitch contractions

Figura 3 Complete tetanic contractions – maximum

tension achieved

Minimum threshold for muscle contraction: 125 mV

Maximum threshold for muscle contraction: 380 mV
Length of one contraction: 75 ms

Figura 4 Muscle contraction with added workload (weights)

Figura 5 muscle contraction with added workload (weights). Isotonic contraction.

Discussion

The velocity of the contraction increase with the decrease of the load.
A single twitch produces a minimum tension in the smallest motor unit and the
simultaneous fused tetanic contraction produces a maximum tension in all
motor units. The amplitude of the muscle contraction decreases with the
increase of the load intensity. Skeletal muscles produce the maximum force
when they contract from the resting length.

Conclusions:
Analyzing the results is possible to conclude that the threshold of stimulation for
the m. gastrocnemius used in this experiment is 125 mV, this corresponds to
the minimal voltage required for any response. When the amplitude is increased
from 165 up to 360 mV (the minimal voltage required for a maximal response)
the tension gradually increases. After 360 mV the tension doesn’t increase
when the voltage goes up.
The duration of muscular twitch is the minimal interval between stimuli when the
peaks are separated. For the m. gastrocnemius used in this experiment is 65
ms.
The maximal interval between stimuli when complete tetanus can be observed
is 75 ms.
The length–tension relationship in skeletal muscle was examined by recording
the isometric and isotonic contractions.