Somatic Motor Neurons

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Chapter: Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professionals: Support and Movement: Muscle Tissue

Neurons conduct nerve impulses. Motor neurons control effectors, which include the skeletal muscle.


Somatic Motor Neurons

Neurons conduct nerve impulses. Motor neurons control effectors, which include the skeletal muscle. Each skeletal muscle fiber is connected in a functional manner to the axon of a motor neuron. These pass outward from the brain or spinal cord. Each func-tional connection is called a synapse. At the synapses, neurons­ communicate with other cells by releasing neurotransmitters (chemicals that enable commu-nication). Skeletal muscle fibers usually ­contract when stimulated by motor neurons.

A neuromuscular junction is the connec-tion between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber (­FIGURE 9-7). A motor end plate is formed by special-ized muscle fiber membranes and has abundant mito-chondria and nuclei, with greatly folded sarcolemmas.

Motor neurons branch out and project into muscle fiber membrane recesses. Cytoplasm at these distal ends have many mitochondria and tiny ­synaptic vesicles that contain neurotransmitters. Upon receiving impulses, the vesicles release neu-rotransmitters into the synaptic cleft between the neuron and motor end plate, stimulating muscle contraction.



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