7/13/22, 4:53 PM PhysioEx Exercise 2 Activity 1

PhysioEx Lab Report

Exercise 2: Skeletal Muscle Physiology
Activity 1: The Muscle Twitch and the Latent Period
Name: Jessica
Date: 13 July 2022
Session ID: session-71b79402-267d-64e5-9795-9fe78c5b67cc

Pre-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 5 out of 5 questions correctly.

1 Skeletal muscles are connected to bones by

You correctly answered: tendons.

2 Skeletal muscles are composed of hundreds to thousands of individual cells called

You correctly answered: fibers.

3 The term motor unit refers to

You correctly answered: one motor neuron and all of the skeletal muscle fibers it innervates.

4 The motor neuron and muscle fiber intersect at what is called

You correctly answered: the neuromuscular junction.

5 A twitch is

You correctly answered: one contractile response to a single action potential.

Experiment Results
Predict Question
1 Predict Question: Will changes to the stimulus voltage alter the duration of the latent period?

Your answer: Yes, changing the stimulus voltage will change the latent period duration
proportionately.

Stop & Think Questions

1 What is the period of time that elapses between the generation of an action potential and
the start of muscle tension development in a muscle fiber?

You correctly answered: The latent period.

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2 What occurs during the latent period of these isometric contractions?

You correctly answered: All the steps of excitation-contraction coupling occur.

Experiment Data

Voltage (v) Length (mm) Active Force Passive Force Total Force Latent Period
(msec)
0 75 0 0 0 ----
3 75 1.04 0 1.04 ----
4 75 1.32 0 1.32 3.20
6 75 1.65 0 1.65 3.20
8 75 1.81 0 1.81 3.20
10 75 1.82 0 1.82 3.20

Voltage = 0 V

Voltage = 3 V

Voltage = 4 V

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Voltage = 6 V

Voltage = 8 V

Voltage = 10 V

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Post-lab Quiz Results

You scored 83% by answering 5 out of 6 questions correctly.

1 An action potential in a motor neuron triggers the release of which neurotransmitter?

You correctly answered: acetylcholine.

2 The term skeletal muscle fiber refers to

You correctly answered: an individual skeletal muscle cell.

3 The graded depolarization in the skeletal muscle fiber that is elicited in response to one
action potential from the motor neuron is called

You correctly answered: an EPP (end-plate potential).

4 Which of the following is not a phase of a skeletal muscle twitch?

You correctly answered: hyperpolarization phase.

5 A skeletal muscle twitch is

You correctly answered: one contractile response to a single action potential.

6 Which of the following correctly matches the twitch phase with its definition?

Your answer: the relaxation phase: the time between electrical stimuli.

Correct answer: the contraction phase: the time between the end of the latent period and
peak muscle tension.

Review Sheet Results

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1 Define the terms skeletal muscle fiber, motor unit, skeletal muscle twitch, electrical stimulus,
and latent period.

Your answer:

A skeletal muscle fiber is a singular muscle cell. A motor unit is one motor neuron and all of
the muscle fibers it innervates. A skeletal muscle twitch is a single contraction-relaxation
cycle in a skeletal muscle fiber. An electrical stimulus is any electrical signal that is being sent
through the muscle fibers to create an action potential. A latent period is a short delay
between the muscle action potential and the beginning of muscle tension development.

2 What is the role of acetylcholine in a skeletal muscle contraction?

Your answer:

Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that is released to stimulate skeletal muscle fibers into
contracting.

3 Describe the process of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle fibers.

Your answer:

The process of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle fibers is the combination of

mechanical and electrical events in the muscle fibers. It has four major events: acetylcholine
is released from the motor neuron, then initiates an action potential in the muscle fiber,
which triggers the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and finally, the
calcium binds with troponin to initiate contraction.

4 Describe the three phases of a skeletal muscle twitch.

Your answer:

The three phases of a skeletal muscle twitch are the latent phase, the contraction phase, and
the relaxation phase. The latent phase is the time between the muscle action potential and
the beginning of muscle tension development. The contraction phase is when the muscle
tension begins to increase steadily to a maximum value as crossbridge interaction increases.
During the relaxation phase, the tension slowly dissipates and the elastic elements of the
muscle return the sarcomeres to their resting length.

5 Does the duration of the latent period change with different stimulus voltages? How well did
the results compare with your prediction?

Your answer:

The duration of the latent phase does not change with different stimulus voltages so my
prediction was wrong.
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6 At the threshold stimulus, do sodium ions start to move into or out of the cell to bring about
the membrane depolarization?

Your answer:

At the threshold stimulus, sodium ions start to move into the cell to bring about the
membrane depolarization.

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