An overview of motor unit structure and function.
The functional properties of nerve and muscle are matched in such a way as to maximize efficiency of the motor unit. This matching is in large measure determined by the neuron which, by virtue of impulse and trophic activities, controls the metabolic and physiologic attributes of the muscle fibers it innervates. This type of regulation provides the motor unit with the plasticity necessary for adaptation to chronic physiologic and pathologic stress. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this aspect of motor unit regulation remain unknown and are an important research frontier.
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004594:Electrophysiology; D009045:Motor Endplate / Q000502:physiology; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity