Set up:

2A. Recruitment requires increasing stimulus amplitude.

Below threshold stimulus, there is no response from the muscle.

As stimulus amplitude increases, only the muscle fibers with the lowest
threshold initially respond and contract.
As the stimulus amplitude continues to increase, an increasing number of
motor units will be recruited so that the strength of the contraction, or
tension, increases as well.
Once all motor units in a muscle have been recruited, an increase in the
stimulus amplitude will not result in any increase in tension.
The contraction of a whole muscle can produce strong, weak or intermediate
contractions depending upon how many motor units are stimulated.
The strength of the twitch increases with the increase in the magnitude of the
shock. Therefore, the strength of the twitch is said to be graded (or
incrementally increased)

we will demonstrate the response to increasing stimulus intensity (progressively

higher voltage). Remember that motor units within a whole muscle have variable
thresholds. The slow twitch motor units have the lowest threshold and will be the
first to respond as the voltage of the stimulus is increased. Intermediate motor units
are recruited next. The fast twitch motor units have the highest thresholds and are
the last to be recruited. As more motor units are recruited with increased stimulus
voltage, the tension produced by each twitch increases.
Definition:

motor unit - is made up of a motor neuron and the skeletal muscle fibers innervated by that
motor neuron's axonal terminals.[1] Groups of motor units often work together to coordinate
the contractions of a single muscle;
Stimulus current induces flow of electric charge(ions), generated because
there is difference in charge ( potential)
Recruitment is increasing the number of motor units responding to a single
stimulus, which results in the increase in tension in whole muscle.
Threshold stimulus - weakest stimulus that could generate an action potential
Maximal stimulus where an increase in stimulus intensity will no longer result in any
increase evoked potential
AP large temporary alteration in MP, when depolarizing GP reaches certain threshold
potential
GP greater intensity o stimulus, greater change in MP

2B. Supramaximal stimulus any stimulus above maximal stimulus

Summation is the increase in tension that results when a muscle fiber is unable to
relax between twitches.
Summation requires increasing stimulus frequency.

At low frequency, the muscle fiber will relax before the next stimulus impulse
occurs.
As the stimulus frequency increases and interval between the stimuli
decreases, the muscle fiber cannot fully relax before the next stimulus occurs

we will demonstrate how a muscle responds to increases in stimulus frequency (the

number of stimuli per second). The stimulus voltage will remain constant
throughout this experiment. As frequency increases, summation and tetanus will
begin to occur. Summation can be measured as the increase in the muscle response
along the Y-axis. Tetanus will be observed as the loss of relaxation between twitches
Remember what causes contraction in a muscle fiber. An action potential causes
calcium ions to be released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the sarcoplasm.
This allows myosin to form cross bridges with actin filaments of the sarcomere and
generate the movement associated with the contraction. The more cross bridges
formed, the stronger the contraction. Relaxation is brought about by the removal of
the Ca++ from the sarcoplasm. If a second stimulus is delivered to a fiber before all
of the Ca++ are removed (the fiber has not relaxed), more Ca++ are released and
the fiber starts a second contraction without completely relaxing from the first.
Why supramaximal stimulus?
the response to any suprathreshold stimulus is maximal and therefore cannot be
increased by increasing the intensity of the stimulus.
However, when stimulating a whole muscle the response is graded; muscle force
increases with increased intensity of the stimulus. This is due to the increased
number of activated fibres. To obtain reproducible results, researchers usually use
supramaximal stimuli, which will induce contraction of all the fibres at each
stimulation. Supramaximal stimulation is stimulation having intensity (voltage or
current) significantly above that required to activate all the muscle fibres.
Definition: Refractory period - period immediately following stimulation during which a
nerve or muscle is unresponsive to further stimulation
Why is the magnitude of contraction more when the 2 nd stimulus falls in the relaxation period of
1st one?
BENEFICIAL EFFECT: The amount of tension is increasing due to an increase in the
amount of Ca2+,as the Ca2+ released by previous stimulation is not mopped off
and Ca2+ continues to release due to subsequent stimuli.
The increase magnitude of contraction is actually due to summation of the
responses (contraction) rather than the summation of stimuli

With rapid stimulation (so rapid that a muscle does not completely relax between
successive stimulations), a muscle fiber is re-stimulated while there is still some contractile
activity.


As a result, there is a 'summation' of the contractile force. In addition, with rapid
stimulation there isn't enough time between successive stimulations to remove all the calcium
from the sarcoplasm.

So, with several stimulations in rapid succession, calcium levels in the sarcoplasm
increase. More calcium means more active cross-bridges and, therefore, a stronger contraction
2C. This loss of relaxation between stimuli is called tetanus. If stimulated at
progressively higher frequency, the amount of relaxation that occurs in between
each twitch is progressively reduced, until a steady state of tension (tetanus, or
tetany) is generated
We say a muscle is in incomplete tetanus if the muscle fiber is able to partially
relax between stimulus impulses (see Fig. 3). A muscle fiber is in complete
tetanus if there is no relaxation at all between stimulus impulses.
Tetanus state of sustained contraction due to rapidly repeated stimulation
-

Rate of stimulation increase (higher frequency), tetanus ensues

Rapid and repeated stimulation leads to stimuli to fall during the contraction
phase so the contractile processes are repeatedly activated - no time to relax

Inconplete tetanus/clonus/unfused when stimulated at lower tetanizing frequency

Summation vs Incomplete tetanus

If a second stimulus arrives before the relaxation phase has ended, a second, more powerful contraction
occurs. The addition of one twitch to another in this way constitutes thesummation of twitches, or wave
summation
If the stimulation continues and the muscle is never allowed to relax completely, tension will rise to a peak
(Figure 10-13b ). A muscle producing peak tension during rapid cycles of contraction and relaxation is
in incomplete tetanus.