All or Nothing
A Case Study in Muscle Contraction
Author(s)
Abstract
In this interrupted case study, students pose as an intern of a neuromuscular/skeletal specialist and discover how sarin and myasthenia gravis influence muscle function. Students are given background information about the patients and their situations, as well as results from blood tests. Students are asked incremental questions that build on each other with the end goal of students describing the process of muscle contraction, from motor neuron to sarcomere shortening, and learning what happens when parts of that process are disrupted. This activity was developed for use in a physiology course where the majority of the students were pre-medical, pre-nursing, or other allied health majors.
Objectives
- Explain the relationship that exists between nicotinic acetylcholine receptors along the post synaptic cleft/motor end plate and acetylcholine.
- Explain the calcium ion flow into and out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
- Identify the role of calcium in muscle contraction and describe its relationship with myosin and actin.
- Compare and contrast the effects of having too little or too much acetylcholine and acetylcholine esterase in the synaptic cleft.
Keywords
muscle; sarin; sarcomere; contraction; NMJ; excitation-contraction; myasthenia gravis; neuromuscular junction; sliding-filament theoryTopical Areas
N/AEducational Level
Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper divisionFormat
PDFType / Methods
InterruptedLanguage
EnglishSubject Headings
Biology (General) | Medicine (General) | Nursing | Physiology | Sports Science | Toxicology |
Date Posted
9/29/2016Teaching Notes
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Comments
Andrea Cull
a_cull@ftgibson.k12.ok.us
Biology
Fort Gibson High School
Fort Gibson
10/10/2016
Used this case study in Adv. Anatomy & Physiology course as a review of muscle physiology and the NMJ. It was wonderful! Straightforward and a nice real-world application to engage the students. Thanks a lot. -----------------------------