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1. Short answer questions (some could be essays)

  1. List in sequence the events involved in excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation, and underscore all the membranes involved.
  2. Why does force continue to rise during a twitch for some time after the myoplasmic Ca++ has fallen well below its peak concentration?
  3. List the characteristics structures that you might look for in histological sections which would enable to descriminate between skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle. You need to specify the plane (transverse or longitudinal) and the objective lens magnification.
  4. What are the distinguishing characteristics of slow type I motor units?
  5. How is the force generated by a skeletal muscle varied?
  6. What evidence supports a sliding filament-cross-bridge mechanism of contraction in smooth muscle?
  7. What are the general factors that explain the extraordinary functional diversity among smooth muscles from various organs?
  8. List the steps that link an increase in myoplasmic Ca++ to contraction in smooth muscle.
  9. What factors determine relaxation in smooth muscle?
  10. What determines the rate of contraction in smooth muscles?


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Copyright (c) 1998 University of Bristol. All rights reserved.
Author: Phil Langton
Last modified: 19 Feb 2001 09:31
Authored in CALnet