Nerve & Muscle

Nerve and muscles
1
Nervous system
• The nervous system is an internal communication

system allowing for rapid transport of messages
within the body.
• This includes;
• Perception
• Processing of information
• Control of responses
2
• Nerve cells known as neurons. neurons are
surrounded by a membrane and contain cytoplasmic
organelles and a nucleus.
• There are different types of neurones that perform
different functions
• Motor neuron
• Sensory neuron
• Relay neuron
3
Electrical activity of axons
• Each cell in our body is surrounded by a thin

membrane. Different ions, small charged molecules
can move across the cell membrane through the
special ion channels (gates).
• These channels can freely let one type of ions
(called by its name) go through the membrane and
block passage of other types of ions.
• The nerve impulse is electrical. This electrical
charge is generated by the relative distribution of
ions on the both sides of the cell membrane.
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Distribution of ions across the cell membrane
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• Due to such a specific permeability a
concentration gradient is established
across the cellular membrane.
• So there are more negative ions inside
the cell with relatively more positive
ions outside, and this leads to a
negative charge inside and a positive
charge outside.
• This will transform each cell into a
tiny battery , with a negative pole
inside the cell and a positive pole
outside.
• This imbalance in electrical charge
across the cell membrane is known as
the membrane potential.
6
Resting Membrane Potential
• Every cell in our body is slightly more negative
inside than outside, it has a resting membrane
potential from (-20mV to -90mV).
• This voltage difference is due to differences in
concentration of ions on opposite sides of a cellular
membrane (intracellular and extracellular) is called
Resting Membrane Potential (RMP in nueron =-70mV).
• sodium (Na+) ions have high concentrations in the
extracellular region, and potassium (K+) ions have high
concentrations in the intracellular region.
• The most important diffusible ion in establishment of the
membrane potential is K+.
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Action potential
• an action potential is the rapid change in
membrane potential that occurs between the
inside and outside of a nerve or muscle fiber
when it is stimulated.
• Action potentials occur in several types of cells,
called excitable cells (neurons, muscle cells, and
endocrine cells).
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Ionic basis of action potential
Depolarization is caused by Na+

inflow
Repolarization is caused by K+
outflow
• When the nerve is

stimulated
a- Na+ channel opens, Na+
inflow
b- K+ channel open, K+
outflow
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• 1- During Depolarization, open Na+ channel. Influx of Na+ from
extracellular which decrease the negativity of the membrane
potential to zero then to positive. Within a fraction of msec, Na+
channel close.
• 2- During Repolarization, open K+ channels. Efflux of K+ from the cell
drops membrane potential back to resting potential.
• 3- Hyperpolarization is due to the slow closure of K+ channels, more
K+ go out of the cell to be more negative than resting membrane
potential.
• Depolarization induces contraction of the muscle

• Repolarization induces relaxation of the muscle
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Speed of a nerve impulse conduction of action
potential
• In humans the main factor which influence the rate
of transmission of nerve impulse is the presence of
myelin sheath.
• Conduction in non-myelinated nerve;
• In an unmyleinated axon, every patch of membrane
that contains Na+ and K+ gates can produce action
potential. Thus,action potential are produced along the
entire length of the axon.
• Therefore, the conduction rate is slow
12
Conduction in myelinated axon.
• The myelin sheath provides
insulation for the axon,
preventing movement of Na+
and K+ through the membrane.
• Therefore the myelin has
[gaps] the nodes of Ranvier,
and the conduction only
occurs at these gaps.
• The conduction rate is faster if
the axon is myelinated because
fewer action potentials are
produced along a given length
of myelinated axon
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skeletal , smooth and cardiac muscles
Skeletal muscle
• Produces movement, maintains posture.
• Skeletal muscle are voluntary.
• Skeletal muscle are striated ;they contain actin and myosin
filaments arranged in the form of sarcomeres, and they
contract by means of sliding filament mechanisms.
• The individual muscle fibers contract when stimulated by a
motor neuron.
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Excitation contraction coupling
• The acetylcholine released from the neuron axon binds
to its nicotinic receptors in the motor end plate.
• This stimulates the production of a depolarization,
which causes the opening of voltage gated Na+ channels
and the resulting production of action potential along
the sarcolemma.
• The spread of action potential stimulates the release of
Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, initiating the
mechanism of muscle contraction by sarcomere
shortening.
• The protein filaments within each skeletal muscle fiber
slide past each other to produce a contraction, which is
explained by the sliding filament theory.
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skeletal muscle 21
Calcium binding to
troponin (exposes
sites on the actin
filaments) to which
myosin binds. Using
ATP, myosin moves the
actin along. The
myosin releases the
actin, resets itself and
binds to another actin
binding site.
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Cardiac muscle
• Exists only in heart, it is like striated muscle contains sarcomeres
that shorten by sliding.
• While skeletal muscle requires nervous stimulation to contract,

cardiac muscle can produce action potential automatically and
contract spontaneously.
• Cardiac action potentials spontaneously originate in specialized

group of cells called the pacemaker (SA node). The rate of this
spontaneous depolarization is controlled by the autonomic
innervations (Noradrenaline, Acetylcholine).
• Because all cells in a myocardium are electrically joined, a

myocardium behaves as a single functional unit. Thus unlike
skeletal muscles that produces contraction that are graded
depending on the number of cells stimulated, a myocardium
contracts to its full extent each time because all of its cells
contribute to contraction.
• There is similarity in contraction between skeletal and cardiac

muscle. The difference only in the source of action potential. 25
Smooth muscle
Found in the walls of hollow organs.
• They are involuntary muscles.
• smooth muscle contain Ca2+ that combine with
calmodulin for muscle contraction .
• Smooth muscles are arranged in circular and
longitudinal smooth muscle layers.
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Smooth muscle is different from skeletal muscle and
cardiac muscle.
Smooth muscle cells known as myocytes, have a
fusiform shape and, like striated muscle, can tense and
relax. However, smooth muscle tissue tends to
demonstrate greater elasticity and function within a
larger length-tension curve than striated muscle. This
ability to stretch and still maintain contractility is
important in organs like the intestines and urinary
bladder. In the relaxed state, each cell is spindle-
shaped.
27
Smooth muscle contraction is caused by the sliding of myosin and
actin filaments (a sliding filament mechanism) over each other. The
energy for this to happen is provided by the hydrolysis of ATP. The
myosin heads tilt and drag along the actin filament a small distance.
The heads then release the actin filament and then changes angle
to relocate to another site on the actin filament a further distance
away. They can then re-bind to the actin molecule and drag it along
further. This process is called crossbridge cycling and is the same for
all muscles. Unlike cardiac and skeletal muscle, smooth muscle does
not contain the calcium-binding protein troponin. Contraction is
initiated by a calcium-regulated phosphorylation of myosin, rather
than a calcium-activated troponin system.
Crossbridge cycling causes contraction of myosin and actin
complexes, in turn causing increased tension along the entire chains
of tensile structures, ultimately resulting in contraction of the entire
smooth muscle tissue. 28
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Nerve & Muscle

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Nerve and muscles

• The nervous system is an internal communication

• Each cell in our body is surrounded by a thin

Depolarization is caused by Na+

• When the nerve is

• Depolarization induces contraction of the muscle

• While skeletal muscle requires nervous stimulation to contract,

• Cardiac action potentials spontaneously originate in specialized

• Because all cells in a myocardium are electrically joined, a

• There is similarity in contraction between skeletal and cardiac

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