WVU EXPH 386 Exam 3 Questions and Answers Latest Update 2025-2026
neuromuscular system - Answerscoordination and integration of the muscles and the nerves
that supply them
cell body (soma) - Answersaction potential begins here, dictates the critical firing rate of the
action potential
dendrites - Answersneural branches that receive impulses and conduct them toward the cell
body
axon - Answersdeliver action potentials to the motor endplate of the muscle. larger ______ =
faster conduction velocities
myelin sheath - Answerslipoprotein membrane that wraps around the axon, acts as an electrical
insulator
schwann cells - Answerscreate or deposit the myelin sheath
nodes of ranvier - Answersinterrupt the myelin sheath every 1-2 mm along the axon
salutatory conduction - Answersallows the action potential to jump from node to node
slower - Answersif no myelin were present, conduction velocities would be a lot ....
nerve terminal branches - Answersmultiple extensions of the axon that innervate individual
muscle fibers
motor endplate / neuromuscular junction - Answersinterface between the end of the axon @ the
terminal branch and the muscle fiber
multinucleated cylindrical cells (fibers) - Answersskeletal muscles of the body are composed of
___________ _________ ______ (_______) which run parallel to each other. Force is directed along
the long axis
fiber length - Answerscan vary from a few mm in small muscles (eye) to approx. 30 cm in large
muscles (leg)
connective tissue layers associated with skeletal muscle - Answersendomysium
perimysium
fasiculus
epimysium
tendons
, periosteum
endomysium - Answerswraps each muscle fiber and separates it from others
perimysium - Answersbundle surrounding up to 150 fibers
fasiculus - Answerslarge bundle of fibers
epimysium - Answerssurrounds the entire muscle
tendons - Answersextension of the epimysium at the ends of the muscle connecting to bone
periosteum - Answersbones outermost covering; tendons connect the muscle to this
skeletal muscle structures - Answerssarcolemma
basement membrane
sarcoplasm
sarcoplasmic reticulum
sarcolemma - Answersmuscle fiber membrane, thin elastic membrane that encloses the fiber's
cellular contents, true fiber boundary
basement membrane - Answersloose collection of glycoproteins and collagen, outside the
muscle fiber
sarcoplasm - Answerscontains the nuclei, substrates, enzymes for metabolism, mitochondria,
and other specialized organelles
sarcoplasmic reticulum - Answershighly specialized network of tubular channels that allows a
wave of depolarization to spread rapidly from sarcolemma to inner environment through T-
tubules to initiate muscle contraction
stores a large amount of calcium
myonuclei - Answerstrue muscle fiber nuclei
muscles are multinucleated
reside directly under the sarcolemma at the periphery
85-95% of the total nuclear pool
hypertrophy - Answersif more new nuclei are added, the fiber must become larger
larger force output is a result
neuromuscular system - Answerscoordination and integration of the muscles and the nerves
that supply them
cell body (soma) - Answersaction potential begins here, dictates the critical firing rate of the
action potential
dendrites - Answersneural branches that receive impulses and conduct them toward the cell
body
axon - Answersdeliver action potentials to the motor endplate of the muscle. larger ______ =
faster conduction velocities
myelin sheath - Answerslipoprotein membrane that wraps around the axon, acts as an electrical
insulator
schwann cells - Answerscreate or deposit the myelin sheath
nodes of ranvier - Answersinterrupt the myelin sheath every 1-2 mm along the axon
salutatory conduction - Answersallows the action potential to jump from node to node
slower - Answersif no myelin were present, conduction velocities would be a lot ....
nerve terminal branches - Answersmultiple extensions of the axon that innervate individual
muscle fibers
motor endplate / neuromuscular junction - Answersinterface between the end of the axon @ the
terminal branch and the muscle fiber
multinucleated cylindrical cells (fibers) - Answersskeletal muscles of the body are composed of
___________ _________ ______ (_______) which run parallel to each other. Force is directed along
the long axis
fiber length - Answerscan vary from a few mm in small muscles (eye) to approx. 30 cm in large
muscles (leg)
connective tissue layers associated with skeletal muscle - Answersendomysium
perimysium
fasiculus
epimysium
tendons
, periosteum
endomysium - Answerswraps each muscle fiber and separates it from others
perimysium - Answersbundle surrounding up to 150 fibers
fasiculus - Answerslarge bundle of fibers
epimysium - Answerssurrounds the entire muscle
tendons - Answersextension of the epimysium at the ends of the muscle connecting to bone
periosteum - Answersbones outermost covering; tendons connect the muscle to this
skeletal muscle structures - Answerssarcolemma
basement membrane
sarcoplasm
sarcoplasmic reticulum
sarcolemma - Answersmuscle fiber membrane, thin elastic membrane that encloses the fiber's
cellular contents, true fiber boundary
basement membrane - Answersloose collection of glycoproteins and collagen, outside the
muscle fiber
sarcoplasm - Answerscontains the nuclei, substrates, enzymes for metabolism, mitochondria,
and other specialized organelles
sarcoplasmic reticulum - Answershighly specialized network of tubular channels that allows a
wave of depolarization to spread rapidly from sarcolemma to inner environment through T-
tubules to initiate muscle contraction
stores a large amount of calcium
myonuclei - Answerstrue muscle fiber nuclei
muscles are multinucleated
reside directly under the sarcolemma at the periphery
85-95% of the total nuclear pool
hypertrophy - Answersif more new nuclei are added, the fiber must become larger
larger force output is a result
