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Related Concept Videos

Motor Units00:46

Motor Units

61.6K
A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.
61.6K
Motor Units01:13

Motor Units

7.2K
The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...
7.2K
Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

Motor Unit Stimulation

3.4K
When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
3.4K
The Neuromuscular Junction01:19

The Neuromuscular Junction

17.5K
The nervous system consists of complex motor neuron circuits, including upper motor neurons originating from the cerebral cortex and lower motor neurons starting in the spinal cord, coordinating both voluntary and involuntary movements. Among these, somatic motor neurons activate skeletal muscles and are classified into alpha, beta, and gamma types. Alpha neurons are vital for voluntary movement coordination, while gamma neurons adjust muscle spindle sensitivity, and the function of beta...
17.5K

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Related Experiment Videos

A 3D-printed platform for modular neuromuscular motor units.

Caroline Cvetkovic1,2, Max H Rich3, Ritu Raman2,4

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

Microsystems & Nanoengineering
|May 7, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a modular cellular system with skeletal muscle and motor neurons. This engineered tissue can contract when stimulated, paving the way for advanced biological machines.

Keywords:
3D printingneuromuscular junctionskeletal musclestereolithographytissue engineering

Related Experiment Videos

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Tissue Engineering
  • Cellular Systems

Background:

  • Complex cellular systems require interacting cell types for functions like force production.
  • Existing platforms for fabricating and characterizing multicellular modules are limited.
  • Need for modular and flexible systems for building functional biological machines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a novel modular cellular system integrating skeletal muscle and motor neurons.
  • To create a bio-fabricated platform for controllable mechanical and geometric attributes.
  • To enable the development of advanced living cellular and biological machines.

Main Methods:

  • Differentiated motor neurons (MNs) from mouse embryonic stem cells via embryoid bodies (EBs).
  • Co-cultured EBs with parallel-differentiated skeletal muscle in multi-layered tissue rings.
  • Integrated tissue rings onto a 3D-printed hydrogel mimicking muscle-tendon-bone structure.

Main Results:

  • Achieved site-specific innervation of muscle fibers within the engineered tissue rings.
  • Demonstrated chemically induced muscle contraction via glutamate stimulation of MNs.
  • Confirmed MN-induced contraction by observing cessation with tubocurarine chloride.

Conclusions:

  • The developed modular cellular system enables controlled muscle contraction through neural stimulation.
  • This bio-fabricated platform facilitates the integration of diverse cellular modules.
  • The system holds potential for creating sophisticated living cellular and biological machines.