Basic physio of skeletal muscle contractions

Motor neuron structure: Axon

The middle part of a motor neuron

-Transmits electrical impulses away from the cell body

Motor neuron structure: Telodendria

Fine extensions of distal axon

-Form connections with other nerve cells

Motor neuron structure: Synaptic terminal

A bulb at the end of an axon in which neurotransmitter molecules are stored and released

Motor neuron structure: Synaptic vesicles

Tiny pouches or sacs in the axon terminals that contain chemicals called neurotransmitters

Acetylcholine (ACh)

A neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction

Motor end plate

The flattened end of a motor neuron that transmits neural impulses to a muscle

Neuromuscular junction

The junction between a nerve fiber and the muscle it supplies

Action potential

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Motor unit

A motor neuron and all of the muscle fibers it innervates