Term | Definition |
Acetylcholinesterase | Enzyme that degrades acetylcholine and reverses acetylcholine induced depolarization |
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis | Degenerative disease that causes muscle wasting and weakness |
Anaphylactic shock | Acute, life threatening allergic reaction |
Blepharoptosis | Condition that causes eyelid muscles to droop |
Botulinum toxin | Poison produced by the bacterium clostridium botulinum that causes muscle paralysis |
Centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant | Drug that produce relaxation of muscles through central nervous system depression blocking nerve transmission between the spinal cord and muscles |
Cerebral palsy | Neurological disorder that affects muscle movement and coordination |
Clonus | Rhythmic muscle contraction that causes the feet and wrists to involuntarily flex and relax |
Depolarizing neuromuscular blockers | Drug that act as agonists at acetylcholine receptor sites and produce sustained depolarization |
Diaphoresis | Excessive sweating |
Endothracheal intubation | Process of inserting a tube down into the trachea to to facilitate mechanical ventilation |
Endplate | Projection extending off the end of a motor neuron where the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is released |
Lower motor neuron | Neurons that branch out from the spinal cord to the muscles and tissues of the body |
Multiple sclerosis | Autoimmune disease that causes progressive damage to nerves resulting in spasticity, pain, mood changes, etc. |
Negative symptoms | Spasticity symptoms that can produce muscle weakness, decreased endurance, and reduction in the ability to make voluntary muscle movements |
Neuromuscular junction | Space between motor neuron endplate and the muscle soleplate that neurotransmitter must cross |
Nondepolarizing competitive blockers | Drugs that compete with acetylcholine for binding sites |
Peripheral acting muscle relaxants | Drug that block nerve transmission between the motor endplate and skeletal muscle receptors |
Phenylketonuria | Disease marked by failure to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine |
Positive symptoms | Spasticity symptoms that cause muscle spasms and hyperexcitable reflexes |
Sarcomere | Contracting unit of muscle fibers |
Soleplate | Portion of the membrane of muscle cells that receives messages transmitted by motor neurons |
Spasticity | Motor disorder that causes increased muscle tone, exaggerated tendon jerks and hyperexcitable muscles |
Tetanus | Fatal condition characterized by continuous muscle spasms |
Upper motor neurons | Neurons that carry messages from the brain down to the spinal cord |