Muscle Contraction: Twitch, Summation of Force, and Tetanus

These flashcards cover key concepts related to muscle contraction, including twitch, frequency summation, tetanus, multiple fiber summation, and the size principle.

A single muscle fiber contraction by a single stimulus is called a __.

twitch

The summation of multiple twitches at a higher frequency is known as __.

frequency summation

When individual twitches occur so closely together that they cannot be distinguished, this state is called __.

tetanus

Stimulating multiple muscle fibers simultaneously is referred to as __.

multiple fiber summation

The __ principle states that smaller motor units are activated first when less force is needed.

size

In asynchronous activation of motor units, the same motor units do not remain contracted for the entire __.

duration

To generate more force, more __ are stimulated in multiple fiber summation.

motor neurons

The contraction of a single muscle fiber is the smallest unit of muscle __.

contraction

The tension developed by a muscle fiber can increase when the frequency of stimulation is __.

higher

In multiple fiber summation, the force generated is the sum of the forces from __ fibers.

individual