The stimulation of a muscle fibre by a motor neuron occurs at the
Correct Answer :
neuromuscular junction
Solution :
The correct option is neuromuscular junction.
To understand why this is the correct answer, let us break down the anatomy and physiology of how a muscle fiber is stimulated by a motor neuron step-by-step:
1. Understanding the Components:
- Motor Neuron: A specialized nerve cell that originates in the central nervous system and extends its axon to a muscle. It transmits electrical signals (action potentials) from the brain or spinal cord to stimulate muscle contraction.
- Muscle Fibre: A single muscle cell that contracts when it receives an electrical signal.
2. The Site of Communication:
- A neuron does not physically merge with a muscle fiber. Instead, there is a specialized chemical synapse or connection point where the terminal end of the motor neuron meets the sarcolemma (the cell membrane) of the muscle fiber.
- This specific interface or junction between the motor neuron and the skeletal muscle fiber is anatomically called the neuromuscular junction (NMJ).
3. Mechanism of Stimulation:
- When an action potential reaches the axon terminal of the motor neuron, it triggers the release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (ACh) into the synaptic cleft (the tiny gap at the neuromuscular junction).
- ACh binds to receptors on the muscle fiber membrane, initiating a new electrical impulse that travels along the muscle fiber, ultimately causing it to contract.
4. Why the other options are incorrect:
- Myofibril: These are the basic rod-like contractile units inside the muscle fiber itself, containing actin and myosin filaments. They do not directly interface with the motor neuron.
- Transverse tubules (T-tubules): These are deep invaginations of the sarcolemma that help conduct the electrical signal inside the muscle cell, but they are not the site where the neuron initiates the stimulation.
- Sarcoplasmic reticulum: This is an internal membrane-bound structure that stores calcium ions within the muscle cell. It releases calcium in response to the signal from the T-tubules, but it is not directly stimulated by the motor neuron.
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