In preparation for the Exam on September 05, 2013, try to solve the following Exercise for yourself:
like they may appear in the Exam for the Course
by Prof. Dr. Joachim W. Herzig

Some Model Questions:
Multiple Choice Questions: Identify the single best answer:
1. The action potential of a skeletal musle a) Has a prolonged plateau phase b) Spreads inward to all parts of the muscle cell via the Transverse Tubules c) Causes the immediate uptake of Ca++ into the sarcoplasmic reticulum d) Is longer than the action potential of cardiac muscle e) Is not essential for contraction
2. The contractile response in skeletal muscle a) Starts after the action potential is over b) Does not last as long as the action potential c) Produces more force when the muscle contracts isotonically than when it contracts isometrically d) Produces more work when the muscle contracts isometrically than when it contracts isotonically e) Can increase in magnitude with repeated stimulation
3. Gap junctions a) Are absent in cardiac muscle b) Are present but of little functional importance in cardiac muscle c) Are present and allow the spread of excitation from one cardiac muscle cell to the next d) Are absent in smooth muscle e) Connect the sarcoplasmic reticulum with the myofibrils
4. A motor unit is made up of a) A flexor muscle and an extensor muscle b) A single muscle cell and all the motor neurons that innervate it c) A single motor neuron and all the muscle cells that it innervates d) A bundle of muscle fibres in a fascicle e) All the motor neurons which respond to stimulation of a single sensory neuron
5. The crossbridges of the sarcomere in cross striated muscle are components of a) Actin b) Myelin c) Troponin d) Tropomyosin e) Myosin

Short Essay Questions:
Write maximally three pages on each of the following:
6. Discuss excitation-contraction-coupling in skeletal muscle and compare it to excitation-contractioncoupling in cardiac and smooth muscle
7. What is the underlying mechanism of the spontaneous discharge of the cells of the sinoatrial node, and how can the rate of discharge of these cells be altered?
8. Discuss the factors that permit gradation of skeletal muscle contraction in an intact living body
9. Which factors determine the enddiastolic length of heart muscle cells, and how does a change in enddiastolic length influence the contractility of these cells?
10. Compare the mechanism that initiates contraction in smooth muscle with the mechanism that initiates contraction in skeletal muscle
11. Explain the dependence of skeletomuscular contractility on overlap of thick and thin filaments
Best wishes and regards
Yours