Motor function

a single motor neuron and the muscle fibers it controls.

Motor unit

a group of motor units that work together.

Motor unit pool

fibers that cause muscle contraction and mechanical work.

Extrafusal muscle fibers

motor neurons originating in the brain stem and spinal cord that initiate muscle contraction.

Alpha motor neurons

the physiological process of converting a neural impulse into a mechanical response.

Excitation-contraction coupling

an explosion of electrical activity caused by a neural impulse.

Action potential

the principle stating that the strength of a neural electrical signal is

independent of the magnitude of the stimulus, so long as the neural threshold is achieved.

All-or-none principle