muscle spindle (redirected from Muscle spindle organ)

spindle /spin·dle/ (spin´d'l)

1. a pin tapered at both ends.

2. the fusiform figure occurring during metaphase of cell division, composed of microtubules radiating from the centrioles and connecting to the chromosomes at their centromeres.

3. a type of brain wave occurring on the electroencephalogram in groups at a frequency of about 14 per second, usually while the patient is falling asleep.

4. muscle s.

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Krukenberg's spindle  a spindle-shaped, brownish-red opacity of the cornea.

mitotic spindle  spindle (2).

muscle spindle  a fusiform end organ arranged in parallel between the fibers of skeletal muscle and acting as a mechanoreceptor, being the receptor of impulses responsible for the stretch reflex.

Diagrammatic cross-section of a muscle spindle showing the intrafusal fibers and afferent and efferent endings.

nuclear spindle  spindle (2).

tendon spindle  Golgi tendon organ.

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muscle spindle

n.

A stretch receptor found in vertebrate muscle.

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muscle spindle

Etymology: L, musculus + AS, spinel

a specialized proprioceptive sensory organ composed of a bundle of fine striated intrafusal muscle fibers innervated by gamma nerve fibers. Their nuclei are gathered together near the center of each fiber to form a nuclear sac, which is surrounded in turn by sensory, annulospiral nerve endings, all enclosed in a fibrous sheath.

Muscle spindle

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muscle

an organ composed of bundles of fibers that has the power to contract and hence to produce movement. Muscles are responsible for locomotion and help support the body, generate heat and perform a number of other functions. They are of two varieties: striated (or striped, voluntary or skeletal), which makes up most of the meat of a carcass, and smooth (unstriated), which includes all the involuntary muscle of the viscera, heart and blood vessels.

Skeletal muscle fibers range in length from a few millimeters to many centimeters. They also vary in color from white to deep red. Each muscle fiber receives its own nerve impulses, which trigger fine and varied motions. At the signal of an impulse traveling down the nerve, the muscle fiber changes chemical energy into mechanical energy, and the result is muscle contraction. At least two major types of muscle fiber have been identified by histochemical techniques: type I (red) fibers, which have a slow contraction; and type II (white) fibers, which have a fast contraction.

Some muscles are attached to bones by tendons. Others are attached to other muscles, and to skin, producing, for example, the skin twitch, the eye blink and hair erection. Parts of the walls of hollow internal organs, such as the heart, stomach and intestines and also blood vessels, are composed of muscles. See also muscular. For a complete list of named muscles see Table 13.

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agonistic muscle

prime mover; a muscle opposed in action by another muscle, called the antagonist.

antagonistic muscle

one that counteracts the action of another muscle (the agonist).

appendicular muscle

one of the muscles of a limb.

arrector pili muscle

small, smooth muscle attached to the bulb of the hair which causes erection of the hair and compression of the attending sebaceous gland when it contracts.

arterial muscle

part of the tunica media; smooth muscle fibers arranged in a circular pattern around the lumen.

articular muscle

one that has one end attached to the capsule of a joint.

axial muscle

1. muscles derived from the somites in the embryo.

2. the muscles around the vertebral column.

muscle biopsy

sample of living muscle obtained by excision or punch.

cardiac muscle

striated involuntary muscle with branched fibers and containing modified fibers which act as cardiac conducting cells.

congenital muscle defects

may be environmental, e.g. nutritional muscular dystrophy, or inherited, e.g. splayleg of piglets.

congenital type II muscle fiber hypertrophy

occurs in the hip joint musculature in German shepherd dogs but there is no detectable abnormality of gait.

cutaneous muscle

striated muscle that inserts into the skin.

double muscle

see myofiber hyperplasia.

esophageal muscle

the tunica muscularis of the esophagus in most domestic animals is mostly striated; in pigs, horses and cats there are small segments of smooth muscle; in birds the entire tunic is smooth muscle.

extraocular m's

the six or seven voluntary muscles that move the eyeball: dorsal, ventral, medial and lateral recti, dorsal and ventral oblique, and retractor bulbi muscles.

extrinsic muscle

one that originates in another part than that of its insertion, e.g. those originating outside the eye, which move the eyeball.

fast-twitch skeletal muscle

two of the three types of skeletal muscle are pale in color and fast-twitch—type IIa (fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic), type IIb (fast-twitch glycolytic). Type IIa fibers are fatigue-resistant, type IIb fatigue easily.

muscle fiber

see muscle (above).

fixation m's, fixator m's

accessory muscles that serve to steady a part.

hamstring m's

the biceps, semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles. See also hamstring.

intraocular m's

the intrinsic muscles of the eyeball.

intrinsic muscle

one whose origin and insertion are both in the same part or organ, such as those entirely within the eye.

involuntary muscle

see smooth muscle (below).

iridial muscle

layers of circular (sphincter) and radial (dilator) muscles. See also iris.

jaw muscle

see Table 13.1H muscles of mastication.

laryngeal muscle

see Table 13.1E muscles of the larynx.

limb muscle

see Table 13.3, 13.4 muscles of the fore- and hindlimbs.

masseter muscle

the principal muscle of mastication. See also Table 13.1H.

mylohyoid muscle

see Table 13.1D muscles of the hyoid apparatus.

muscle neoplasms

of striated muscle—rhabdomyoma, rhabdomyosarcoma; of plain muscle—leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma.

muscle nonstriated

see smooth muscle (below).

orbicular muscle

one that encircles a body opening, e.g. the eye or mouth.

muscle-paralyzing drugs

drugs which produce neuromuscular blockade, used as muscle relaxants during surgical procedures. Include d-tubocurarine, alcuronium chloride, pancuronium, vecuronium, atracurium besylate, succinylcholine.

red muscle

type 1 fibers predominate with slow contraction cycles and aerobic metabolism.

muscle rupture

the muscle may have torn away from its insertion, in which case the tendon will be slack, or it may be a complete or partial separation of the belly of the muscle, when the muscle will be swollen and hard. Structural and conformational changes may result, e.g. in rupture of the gastrocnemius muscle, and the hernias caused by rupture of the ventral abdominal muscles or the diaphragm.

skeletal m's

striated muscles that are attached to bones and typically cross at least one joint. Called also voluntary or striated muscles.

slow-twitch skeletal muscle

type 1 skeletal muscle fibers are bright red and contain large amounts of myoglobin; not easily fatigued.

smooth muscle

plain or involuntary muscle which powers the internal organs and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system; slow contracting cycles and fatigue resistant. Two types listed, visceral and vascular.

sphincter muscle

a ringlike muscle that closes a natural orifice; called also sphincter.

muscle spindle

sensory end-organ attached to the perimysial connective tissue of the muscle.

muscle strain

soreness and stiffness in a muscle due to overexertion or contusion, especially in muscles that have not been conditioned for hard use; some of the muscle fibers may actually tear.

striated muscle

see skeletal muscles (above).

synergic m's

those that assist one another in action.

temporal muscle

a significant muscle of mastication. See also Table 13.1H.

muscle-tendon junction

the union between connective tissue investing muscles and anchoring connective tissue.

type I muscle fiber

see slow-twitch skeletal muscle (above).

type II muscle fiber

see fast-twitch skeletal muscle (above).

type II muscle fiber deficiency

a relative deficiency of type II muscle fibers, with a predominance of type I fibers. An inherited defect in Labrador retrievers. Clinical signs include stunted growth, and muscle weakness and abnormal gait, which subside with rest, from an early age.

voluntary muscle

see skeletal muscle (above).

white muscle

consist of type II fibers; fast contraction fibers and aerobic metabolism are characteristic.

yoked m's

those that normally act simultaneously and equally, as in moving the eyes.

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spindle

1. mitotic spindle; the fusiform figure occurring during metaphase of cell division, composed of microtubules radiating from the centrioles and connecting to the chromosomes at their centromeres.

2. muscle spindle.

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muscle spindle

a mechanoreceptor found within a skeletal muscle; the muscle spindles are arranged in parallel with muscle fibers. They contain three to 10 small, striated muscle fibers (intrafusal fibers) contained within a capsule and supplied with specialized motor and sensory nerves. They respond to passive stretch of the muscle but cease to discharge if the muscle contracts isotonically, thus signalling muscle length. The muscle spindle is the receptor responsible for the stretch or myotatic reflex.

spindle wood, spindle tree

euonymuseuropaea.