Lower Motor Neuron Circuits and Motor Control - The Spinal Cord Circuitry Underlying Muscle Stretch Reflexes
3 important questions on Lower Motor Neuron Circuits and Motor Control - The Spinal Cord Circuitry Underlying Muscle Stretch Reflexes
Explain how a stretch reflex occurs and which structures are involved. (reciprocal innervation)
When the muscle spindles are stretched, an action potential excites the alpha-motorneuron of the agonist and indirectly inhibites the antagonist via an interneuron.
What's special about a myotatic reflex?
A myotatic reflex innervates the lower-motorneuron directly. It is monosynaptic
What is the role of gamma-motorneurons?
They regulate the responses of muscle spindles. When a muscle is 'too' shortened, the musle spindle would be relieved of tension and can not longer detect changes in musle length. Because the gamma-motorneuron excites the muscle spindle, it becomes excitible again.
Fig. 16.11
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