Muscle Physiology Jeopardy
This type of muscle is voluntary, striated, and controlled by somatic motor neurons.
What is skeletal muscle?
This is the part of the neuron where the action potential is typically initiated.
What is the axon hillock?
This group of cells sets the pace of the heart and initiates electrical signals.
What is the SA node?
This gland acts as the master regulator, controlling hormone release from the pituitary.
What is the hypothalamus?
This structure is the basic functional unit of the kidney.
What is the nephron?
This ion binds to troponin to initiate the contraction cycle in skeletal muscle.
What is calcium (Ca²⁺)?
These specialized cells wrap around axons to form the myelin sheath, increasing the speed of action potential conduction.
What are Schwann cells (PNS) or oligodendrocytes (CNS)?
These specialized structures connect cardiac cells and allow electrical impulses to pass directly between them.
What are intercalated discs?
This type of hormone is water-soluble, acts quickly, and binds to receptors on the cell membrane.
What is a peptide hormone?
This part of the nephron is highly permeable to water and helps concentrate urine.
What is the descending limb of the Loop of Henle?
This muscle type contracts in a twisting motion and uses calmodulin instead of troponin.
What is smooth muscle?
These drugs reduce nerve excitability by blocking the flow of ions, preventing the rapid firing of action potentials and offering targeted pain relief.
What are sodium channel blockers?
This type of cardiac action potential relies on funny channels and calcium influx to slowly depolarize and generate rhythm.
What is a pacemaker (autorhythmic) cell action potential?
This negative feedback loop involving the adrenal gland helps regulate the body’s response to stress.
What is the HPA axis?
This hormone increases sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron and is activated during low BP.
What is aldosterone?
This structure in skeletal muscle helps propagate action potentials deep into the muscle fiber, triggering calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
What are T-tubules?
These two glutamate receptors work together during long-term potentiation—one allows immediate sodium entry, while the other requires depolarization to let calcium in.
What are AMPA and NMDA receptors?
This process, triggered by calcium influx, causes the release of even more calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
What is calcium-induced calcium release (CICR)?
This hormone is secreted from the posterior pituitary and promotes water retention in the kidneys.
What is vasopressin (ADH)?
This process uses hydrostatic pressure in the glomerulus to create filtrate.
What is glomerular filtration?
This autoimmune disorder targets voltage-gated calcium channels on presynaptic neurons, reducing ACh release and causing muscle weakness.
What is Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS)?
This neural mechanism sharpens sensory perception by enhancing the contrast between a strongly activated neuron and its less active neighbors.
What is lateral inhibition?
This condition causes the atria and ventricles to beat independently due to a complete block in electrical signal transmission.
What is a third-degree AV block?
This fat-soluble hormone class binds to intracellular receptors and alters gene expression.
What are steroid hormones?
This hormone system is activated by low blood pressure or sodium levels and works through vasoconstriction, aldosterone release, and water retention to restore balance.
What is the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS)?