Neural Control of Exercising

Muscle

Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation

Universiti Teknologi MARA
 Outline
• Structure and function of the nervous system
• Sensory-Motor integration
• Motor response
Organization of nervous system
General nervous system function
 Control of the internal environment
– With the endocrine system
 Voluntary control of movement
 Programming spinal cord reflexes
 Assimilation of experiences necessary for
memory and learning
Relationship between CNS and PNS
Structure of neuron
 Cell body
– Contains the nucleus
 Dendrites
– Conduct impulses toward cell body
 Axon
– Carries electrical impulse away from cell body
– May be covered by Schwann cells
 Forms discontinuous myelin sheath along length of
axon
 Synapse
– Contact points between axon of one neuron and
dendrite of another neuron
• A nerve impulse
– An electrical signal –arises when a stimulus is
strong enough to change the normal electrical
charge of the neuron
 Electrical activity in Neuron: Resting
Membrane Potential
• Difference in electrical charges between outside and inside of cell
• −70 mV
• Caused by uneven separation of charged ions
• Why −70 mV?
– High [Na+] outside cell, medium [K+] inside cell
– Inside more negative relative to outside

• Na+ channels closed

– Na+ wants to enter cell but can’t
– Electrical and concentration gradients

• K+ channels open Cell membrane is

much more
– K+ leaves cell (concentration gradient)
permeable to K+
– Offset by Na+−K+ pumps
• The imbalance is maintained in 2 ways:
1. Cell membrane is much more permeable to
K+ than to Na+, so K+ can move freely.
2. Sodium –potassium pump in neuron
membrane
Sodium-potassium pump
 Depolarization and Hyperpolarization
• Depolarization
– Occurs when inside of cell becomes less negative,
-70 mV  0 mV
– More Na+ channels open, Na+ enters cell
– Required for nerve impulse to arise and travel

• Hyperpolarization
– Occurs when inside of cell becomes more
negative, -70 mV  −90 mV
– More K+ channels open, K+ leaves cell
– Makes it more difficult for nerve impulse to arise
 Electrical activity in Neuron: Action potential

 Definition: Rapid and substantial depolarization of the

neuron membrane.
 Occurs when a stimulus of sufficient strength depolarizes
the cell
– Opens Na+ channels, and Na+ diffuses into cell
 Inside becomes more positive
 Repolarization
– Return to resting membrane potential
 K+ leaves the cell rapidly
 Na+ channels close
 All-or-none law
– Once a nerve impulse is initiated, it will travel the length of the
neuron
 Synapse: Transmitting AP
• Junction or gap between neurons
– Site of neuron-to-neuron communication
– AP must jump across synapse

• Axon  synapse  dendrites

– Presynaptic cell  synaptic cleft  postsynaptic
cell
– Signal changes form across synapse
– Electrical  chemical  electrical
 Synapse:
Transmitting APs

• AP can only move in one direction

• Axon terminals contain neurotransmitters
– Chemical messengers
– Carry electrical AP (action potential) signal across
synaptic cleft
– Bind to receptor on postsynaptic surface
– Stimulate GPs (graded potential) in postsynaptic
neuron
 Neuromuscular Junction:
A Specialized Synapse

• Site of neuron-to-muscle communication

– Uses acetylcholine (ACh) as its neurotransmitter
– Excitatory: passes AP along to muscle

• Postsynaptic cell = muscle fiber

– ACh binds to receptor at motor end plate
– Causes depolarization
– AP moves along plasmalemma, down T-tubules
– Repolarization, refractory period
 Sensory Division
• Transmits information from
periphery to brain
• Major families of sensory
receptors
– Mechanoreceptors: physical forces
– Thermoreceptors: temperature
– Nociceptors: pain
– Photoreceptors: light
– Chemoreceptors: chemical stimuli
 Sensory Information and Reflex
 Proprioceptors
– Receptors that provide CNS with information
about body position
– Located in joints and muscles
 Kinesthesia
– Conscious recognition of the position of body
parts
– Limb movement rates
 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Joint Proprioceptors
 Free nerve endings
– Sensitive to touch and pressure
– Initially strongly stimulated, then adapt (become less
sensitive)
 Golgi-type receptors
– Found in ligaments and around joints
– Similar to free nerve endings
 Pacinian corpuscles
– In tissues around joints
– Detect rate of joint rotation
 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Muscle Proprioceptors
 Provide sensory feedback to nervous system
– Tension development by muscle
– Account of muscle length
 Muscle spindle
 Golgi tendon organ
 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Muscle Spindle
 Responds to changes in muscle length
 Found in human locomotor muscle
 Muscle that require finest degree of control
(hand)  highest muscle spindle
 Stretch on muscle causes reflex contraction
 Knee-jerk reflex
 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Structure of Muscle Spindles

 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO)

 Monitors tension developed in muscle
– Prevents muscle damage during excessive force generation
 Stimulation results in reflex relaxation of muscle
 Ability to voluntarily oppose GTO inhibition may be
related to gains in strength
 Inhibitory influence of GTO could be gradually reduced
with  strength training  produce greater muscle
force.
 Inhibit agonists, excite antagonists
 Reduce potential for injury
 Sensory Information and Reflexes
The Golgi Tendon Organ
 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Muscle Chemoreceptors
 Sensitive to changes in the chemical
environment surrounding a muscle
– H+ ions, CO2, and K+
 Provide CNS with information about metabolic
rate of muscular activity
– Important in regulation of cardiovascular and
pulmonary responses  Ex
 Sensory Information and Reflexes

Withdrawal Reflex
 Reflex contraction of skeletal muscle
– Occurs in response to sensory input
– Not dependent on higher brain centers
– Remove body from source of pain
 Pathways of neural reflex
– Sensory nerve sends impulse to spinal column
– Interneurons (spinal) activate motor neurons
– Motor neurons control movement of muscles
 Motor division
• Transmits information from brain to periphery
• Two divisions
– Autonomic: regulates visceral activity
• Heart rate
• BP
• Lung function
– Somatic: stimulates skeletal muscle activity
 Sensory-Motor Integration
• Process of communication and interaction
between sensory and motor systems
• Five sequential steps
1. Stimulus sensed by sensory receptor
2. Sensory AP sent on sensory neurons to CNS
3. CNS interprets sensory information, sends out
response
4. Motor AP sent out on a-motor neurons
5. Motor AP arrives at skeletal muscle, response occurs
Sensory–motor integration: Sensory input

• Can be integrated at many points in CNS

• Complexity of integration increases with ascent
through CNS
– Spinal cord- reflex
– Lower brain stem- postural control during standing, sitting
or moving
– Cerebellum- coordination
– Thalamus –distinguish various sensation
– Cerebral cortex (primary sensory cortex)- constantly aware
of surrounding
 Sensory-Motor Integration:
Motor Control

• As level of control moves from spinal cord to

cerebral cortex, movement complexity 
 Sensory-Motor Integration:
Reflex Activity

• Motor reflex
– Instant, preprogrammed response to a given
stimulus
– Response to stimulus identical each time
– Occurs before conscious awareness

• Impulse integrated at lower, simple levels

 Motor Response

• a-Motor neuron carries AP to muscle

• AP spreads to muscle fibers of motor unit
– Fine motor control: fewer fibers per motor unit
– Gross motor control: more fibers per motor unit

• Homogeneity of motor units

– Fiber types not mixed within a given motor unit
– Either type I fibers or type II fibers
– Motor neuron may actually determine fiber type