AMPHIBIAN GRAPHS

1. SIMPLE MUSCLE TWICH

 Momentary contraction in response to
a electrical stimuli
 Recorded in a moving kymograph –
SIMPLE MUSCLE CURVE
 TO STUDY -
 Latent period – point of
stimuli to onset of
contraction
 Contraction period –
point of onset of
contraction to its peak
 Relaxation period – peak
to end of contraction
 METHOD

Principle – muscle is stimulated with single induction shock – and it contracts

 REQUIREMENTS
 Dissection instruments
 Kymograph
 Muscle trough
 Short circuiting key
 Tap key
 Ringer solution
 Smoked drum
 Electrodes
 Wires
 Tuning fork
 Thread
 Hook and weights
 DISSCUSSION
 LATENT PERIOD (10 msec) - due to Time taken

Nerve

NMJ

Muscle

Excitation contraction coupling

Lever to overcome inertia of rest

Viscos muscle resistance

 CONTRACTION – (20- 40 ms)

 RELAXATION PERIOD – (30 – 50ms)

 2. EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON MUSCLE
CONTRACTION
 Change in temperature cause muscle contraction - by changing temperature of ringer solution

REQUIREMENTS OBSERVATION
Compare the recordings in 3 muscle curves
 Cold ringer solution (10 c)
 Warm ringer solution (40 c)
 Centigrade thermometer
HOT RINGER
 Latent period
 Relaxation period
 Contraction period
 Height of the curve

Causes – nerve conduction

- NM transmission
- inertia of lever

Due to activation of myosin ATPase

Decreased muscle viscosity
3.GENERATION OF FATIGUE IN SKELETAL
MUSCLE
 Decreased performance due to continuous stimuli
 Reversible phenomena
 Recorded by stimulating the preparation by changing baseline
 Recording amplitude and stimulus of
1st three contractions and
simultaneous contractions
 As fatigue occurs – relaxation prolongs
and goes up
FATIGUE – SITES
 Muscle
 NMJ
 Nerve (but theoretically not possible )

CAUSE

 Depletion of Ach
 Exhaustion of Glycogen storage (if directly
stimulated )

 Early sign of fatigue – prolongation of relaxation period

 Relaxation becomes incomplete and remains in state of
partial contraction - CONTRACTION REMAINDER
4. EFFECT OF INCREASING strength OF
STIMULI ON MUSCLE CONTRACTION
 Amplitude of contraction increases with increase in strength of stimuli
 STIMULUSES
 Subminimal stimulus / subthreshold stimulus – do not evoke
response
 Threshold stimulus – minimum strength to evoke a response
 Maximal stimulus – maximum response
 Supramaximal stimulus – more than maximal but same
response
 N o contraction at subminimal stimuli
 Max stimuli once reached will not increase further even in supramaximal stimulus
 More motor units are recriuted as the stimuli increase
5. EFFECT OF TWO SUCCESIVE STIMULI ON
MUSCLE CONTRACTION
 When two stimulus are paired , the response will depend upon the type of stimulus

THE BENEFITIAL EFFECT

ABSOLUTE REFRACTIVE PERIOD
2 Successive stimuli
 Second stimuli do not produce
any response , no matter how Magnitude of contraction in 2nd time
strong the stimulus is increases

RELATIVE REFRACTORY PERIOD Ca ions returning back (relaxation period)

 Stimulus at a greater strength So increased Ca ions concentration

evoke response
6.EFFECT OF INCREASING FREQUENCY OF
STIMULI ON MUSCLE CONTRACTION –
TETANUS
• TETANUS – sustained contraction without rest due to rapid and repeated stimulus

Stair case phenomenon is observed(1st stimuli)

Low frequency clonus appears (partial tetanus)

Tetanus
TREPPE

 Staircase phenomena
 Progressive increase of fore of contraction for 1st
two three contractions
 Accumulation of calcium in SR
 Seen in cardiac muscles

CLONUS

 Partial tetanus
 Not same as clinical clonus
 Eg ankle clonus in UML

TETANUS

 State of sustained contraction

 No relaxation
 Seen clinically in clostridium tetany
 7.Effect of load on skeletal muscle
 Load applied before muscle starts contracting – FREE LOAD / PRELOAD
 Load applied after muscle starts contracting – AFTER LOAD

 Change in muscle contraction observed by change in the time of application of load

 FREE LOAD – work done will be more efficient
 AFTERLOAD – Less efficient
 Work done = weight lifted(w) x actual height(h)
 Height = length btw fulcrum and where load acts / length btw fulcrum and lever x height of
contraction obtained

EFFECTS OF
AFTERLOAD ON
MOVING DRUM

 Height of contraction
decreases
 Latent period increases
 Less work done
 AFTERLOAD ON A STATIONARY DRUM

 Decrease in height as weight increases

 FREE LOAD ON MOVING DRUM

 Height of contractions
increases as weight
increases till the limit
 Then decreases

• Change in the initial

length of muscle
increases the contraction
– FRANK STARLINGS
LAW
 FREE LOAD ON STATIONARY DRUM
 Measurement of isometric contraction
using nerve muscle preparation

ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION

 occurs wen ends of muscle do not move while contraction

 Studied by fixing the muscle in both ends
 MODE OF ISOMETRIC AND ISOTONIC
CONTRACTION
Muscle has – a contractile component – responsible for its elasticity
The contractile component is
Parallel with the elastic component – e.g. connective tissue
sheath known as Parallel elastic component (PEC)
In series with other elastic component k/as series elastic
component (SEC)
Resistance in stretch is due to SEC and some by PEC
 ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION

Length remains the same during contraction

No external work done
How???
Any shortening due to the contraction of contractile component get
compensated by stretching of the series of elastic component
Examples
Anti gravity muscles
Pushing against a wall
Passive muscle stretch (without stimulation) – e.g. applying weights

Passive / resting tension

Due to stretching of SEC & PEC

 On stimulation

Contractile component is transformed into active component

Converts chemical energy to mechanical energy

Characters of PEC & SEC unchanged

Total tension developed after stimulation (active + passive tension )

Active tension due to CC

Passive tension due to PEC and SEC
 Relaxed muscle As muscle length
increases
At equilibrium length
passive tension increases As muscle length
Develops no passive increases twice as
tension Pulls thin filament past optimal length
thick filaments
No stretching of SEC & Contractile tissue no
PEC Initial length increases longer contract
With overlapping actin I.e. active tension = 0
and myosin molecules active tension – maximum
Total = passive tension
No active tension
Optimal length of muscle
No total tension (length of muscle during
maximum active tension)
  Total tension increases as the length increases
 Passive tension of muscle increases with
 Active tension increases with increase in muscle
the increase in length
length reaches peak and declines
 Passive tension – by electrical stimulation
 RESTING LENGTH – Length at with active tension is maximum

 EQULIBRIUM LENGTH – Length of the muscle after detaching from bony attachments

 INTIAL LENGTH – Length of muscle before it contracts

CAUSES

 Sliding filament mechanism of actin and myosin fibres

 Tension developed is proportional to number of cross linkages
 DETERMINATION OF CONDUCTION
VELOCITY OF SCIATIC NERVE
 Depends upon diameter and myelination of nerve
 Determined by –
 Dividing the distance between 2 points of stimuli
 Done in Gastrocnemius sciatic nerve preparation
2 points are stimulated
 vertebral end of sciatic nerve
 Muscular end of sciatic nerve

 Latent period of each is calculated

after plotting the graph
 Conduction velocity = distance/ time
 In sciatic nerve it ranges from 40 –
60ms in frogs

Conduction velocity depends on

 Myelinated (higher in myelinated)

 Fibre diameter
 Temperature
 Species