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Related Concept Videos

Disorders of the Skeletal Muscle01:28

Disorders of the Skeletal Muscle

1.4K
The clinical conditions affecting the skeletal muscle tissue are broadly categorized as musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders involve injuries and conditions affecting the skeletal muscles and associated connective tissues. These disorders can arise from acute biomechanical stresses or chronic overuse and can occur across different age groups. Common injuries include sprains, fractures, and muscular strains, often resulting from...
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Overview of Muscle Tissues01:25

Overview of Muscle Tissues

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The human body has three types of muscle tissue: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. Each class has unique properties that enable them to perform specific functions. However, all muscle tissues share certain properties, including elasticity, contractility, and excitability. 
Elasticity
Elasticity is the ability of muscles to stretch and return to their original shape. This property is partly due to elastic fibers — macromolecules that run through the muscles. These fibers are firm and...
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Isotonic and Isometric Muscle Contractions01:22

Isotonic and Isometric Muscle Contractions

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Two primary types of muscle contractions are isotonic and isometric, each serving unique functions and involving distinct mechanisms. Both isotonic and isometric contractions are integral to the body's complex system of movement and stability. Isotonic exercises contribute significantly to functional strength and movement, while isometric contractions are crucial for maintaining posture and joint stability.
Isotonic contractions
Isotonic contractions occur when a muscle changes length while...
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Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

Motor Unit Stimulation

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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...
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Muscle Stimulation Frequency01:22

Muscle Stimulation Frequency

3.8K
The contraction strength of muscles is regulated by motor neurons, which modulate the frequency of action potentials dispatched to the motor units based on the body's requirements. This process of varying the muscle stimulation frequency allows muscles to contract with a force that is precisely tailored to the needs of the moment, whether lifting a feather or a heavy box.
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
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Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

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Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 7, 2025

Method to Measure Tone of Axial and Proximal Muscle
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Method to Measure Tone of Axial and Proximal Muscle

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Muscle Tone Physiology and Abnormalities.

Jacky Ganguly1, Dinkar Kulshreshtha1, Mohammed Almotiri1

  • 1London Movement Disorder Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5A5, Canada.

Toxins
|April 30, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Muscle tone regulation involves complex neural networks. This review explores hypertonia (spasticity, rigidity) and other muscle tone disorders like dystonia and paratonia, detailing their causes and anatomical correlates.

Keywords:
dystoniaparatoniarigidityspasticity

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 7, 2025

Method to Measure Tone of Axial and Proximal Muscle
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Method to Measure Tone of Axial and Proximal Muscle

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Myo-mechanical Analysis of Isolated Skeletal Muscle
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Tissue Triage and Freezing for Models of Skeletal Muscle Disease
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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Muscle tone, defined as resistance to passive stretch, is regulated by intricate neural circuits.
  • Dysfunction in these pathways leads to muscle tone abnormalities, including hypertonia and hypotonia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the homeostatic mechanisms maintaining normal muscle tone.
  • To discuss the pathophysiology and anatomical correlates of spasticity and rigidity.
  • To highlight the network dysfunction underlying dystonia and paratonia.

Main Methods:

  • This is a review article, synthesizing existing knowledge.
  • It discusses anatomical correlates and pathophysiological mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Loss of supraspinal control causes hypertonia (spasticity, rigidity).
  • Dystonia and paratonia result from network dysfunction involving basal ganglia and thalamo-cerebello-cortical connections.
  • Cortical disinhibition and neuroplastic changes contribute to dystonia and paratonia.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the neural basis of muscle tone is crucial for diagnosing and treating tone disorders.
  • Disorders of muscle tone stem from distinct neural pathway dysfunctions.