Activity 1: The Muscle Twitch and The Latent Period

I. PENDAHULUAN
1.1. Latar Belakang Teoritis
A motor unit consists of a motor neuron and all of the muscle fibers it
innervates. The motor neuron and a muscle fiber intersect at the neuoromuscular
junction.

Specifically, the neuromuscular junction is the location where the axon

terminal of the neuron meets a specialized region of the muscle fiber's plasma
membrane. This specialized region is called the motor end plate.
The events that ocur at the neuromuscular junction lead to the end-plate
potential. An action potential in a motor neuron triggers the release of
acetycholine from its terminal. Acetycholine then diffuses onto the muscle fiber's
plasam membrane (or sarcolemma) and binds to receptors in the motor end plate,
initiating a change in ion permeability that results in a graded depolarization of
the muscle plasma membeane (the end-plate potential). The end-plate potential
triggers a series of events that results in the contraction of a muscle cell. This
entire process is called excitation-contraction coupling.
You will be stimulating excitation - contraction coupling in this and
subsequent activiities, but you will be using electrical pulses, rather than
acetycholine, to trigger action potentials. The pulses will be administered by an
electrical stimulator that can be set for the precise voltage, frequency, and
duration of shock desired. When applied to a muscle that has been surgically
removed from an animal, a single electrical stimulus will result in a musccle
twitch - the mechanical response to a single acton potential. A muscle twitch has
three phases: the latent period, the contraction phase, and the relaxation phase.
 1. The latent period is the period of time that elapses between the
generation of an action potential in a muscle cell and the start of muscle
contraction. Although no force is generated during the latent period,
chemical changes ( including the release of calcium from the
sarcoplasmic reticulum) occur intracellularly in preparation for
contraction.
2. The contraction phase starts at the end of the latent period and ends ehen
muscle tension peaks.
3. The relaxation phase is the period of time from peak tension until the end
of the muscle contraction

1.2. Masalah
a. How to understand the term exitation-contration, electrical stimulus, muscle
twitch, latent period, contraction phase and relaxation phase.
b. How to initian muscle twitches with electrical stimuli of varying intensity.
c. How to identify and measure the duration of latent period.

1.3. Tujuan
a. To understand the term exitation-contration, electrical stimulus, muscle
twitch, latent period, contraction phase and relaxation phase.
b. To initian muscle twitches with electrical stimuli of varying intensity.
c. To identify and measure the duration of latent period.

II. METODE KERJA

2.1. Alat dan bahan
 a. Intact, viable skeletal muscle dissected off the leg of a frog
b. Electrical stimulator - delivers the desired amount and duration of stimulating
voltage to the muscle via electrodes resting on the muscle
c. Mounting stand - includes a force transducer to measure the amount of force,
or tension, developed by the muscle
d. Oscilloscope - displays the stimulated muscle twitch and the amout of active,
passive, and total force developed by the muscle

2.2. Tata Kerja

1. Note that the voltage on the stimulator is set to 0.0 volts. Click stimulate to
deliver an electrical stimulus to the muscle and observe the tracing that
results.
2. The tracing on the oscilloscope indicates active muscle force. Note that no
muscle force developed because the voltage was set to zero. Click record
data to display your results in the grid.
3. Increase the voltage to 3.0 volts by clicking the + button beside the voltage
display
4. Click stimulate and observe the tracing that results
5. Note the muscle force that developed. Click record data to display your
results in the grid.
6. Click clear tracings to remove the tracings from the osciloscope.
7. Increase the voltage to 4.0 volt by clicking the + button beside the voltage
display
8. Click stimulate and observe the tracing that results. Note that the trace starts
at the left side of the screen and stays flat for a short period of the time.
Remember that the X-axis displays elapsed time in miliseconds. Also note
how the force during the contraction also changes.
9. Click measure on the stimulator. A thin, vertical yellow line appears at the
far left side of the screen. To measure the length of the latent period, you
measure the time between the application of the stimulus and the beginning
of the first observable response (here, an increase in force). Click the +
button beside the time display. You will see the vertical yellw line start to
move across the screen. Keep clicking the the + button until the yellow lne
reaches the point in the tracing where the graph stops being a flat line and
begins to rise (this is the point at whick muuscle tension starts to the
 develop). If the yellow line moves past the desired point, click the button to
move it backward. When the yellow line is positioned correctly, click record
data to display the latent period in the grid.
10. Click clear tracings to remove the tracings from the oscilloscope.
11. You will now gradually increase the voltage to observe how changes the
stimulus voltage after alter the duration of the latent period.
Increase the voltage by 2.0 volts.
Click stimulate and observe the tracing that results.
Click measure on the simulator and then click the + button until the
yellow line reaches the point in the tracing where the graph stops
being a flat line and begins to rise.
Click record data
Repeat this step until you reach 10.0 volts.
12. You have complete this experiment.

III. HASIL

IV. PEMBAHASAN
4.1. Diskusi hasil
Praktikum yang kami lakukan kali ini adalah praktikum dry lab dengan
materi Muskoloskeletal. Pada praktikum ini kami melakukan exercise 2 activity
1 yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui mengenai unit motor, berkedut, periode
laten, fase kontraksi, fase relaksasi, ambang batas, penjumlahan, tetanus,
kelelahan, kontraksi isometrik, dan kontraksi isotonik. Sarana yang digunakan
dalam praktikum ini adalah PhysioEx 9.1: Software of Laboratory simulation
Phsyiology dan seperangkat laptop.
Pada praktikum ini, sebelum memulai percobaan kami menjawab
beberapa pertanyaan yang berkaitan dengan materi Muskoloskeletal (Pre-lab
Quiz). Setelah itu dilanjutkan dengan melakukan percobaan pada otot yang
memiliki panjang 75 mm. Langkah pertama, yaitu melakukan percobaan dengan
tegangan listrik sebesar 0,0 volt kemudian klik Stimulate untuk melihat reaksi
dari otot namun saat tegangan listrik 0,0 volt tidak ada gaya yang terjadi pada
otot. Kemudian tingkatkan tegangan listrik menjadi 3,0 volt dan catat perubahan
gaya yang terjadi yaitu gaya aktifnya menjadi 1.04 dan tidak terjadi gaya pasif
sehingga total gayanya 1.04. Kemudian tambahkan tegangan menjadi 4,0 volt
dan lihat perubahan gaya yang terjadi kemudian klilk Measure untuk melihat
waktu latent pada oscilloscope screen. Kemudian klik time (msec) hingga garis
kuning vertikal bergerak sampai pada point dimana garis kuning horizontal
mulai meningkat kemudian catat data. Pada tegangan 4,0 volt dihasilkan gaya
aktif sebesar 1.32 dan gaya pasif 0.0 sehingga gaya total 1.32 dan waktu
latentnya 2.80. Tambahkan tegangan hingga 6,0 volt kemudian klik Stimulate
untuk melihat perubahan gaya yang terjadi lalu klik Measure kemudian klik time
(msec) hingga garis kuning vertikal bergerak sampai point dimana garis kuning
horizontal mulai meningkat. Pada tegangan 6,0 vot dihasilkan gaya aktif sebesar
1.65 dan gaya pasif 0.0 sehingga gaya total 1.65 dan waktu latentnya 2.80.
Ulangi langkah ini hingga mencapai 10,0 volts.Pada tegangan 8,0 volt dihasilkan
gaya aktif sebesar 1.81 dan gaya pasif 0.0 sehingga gaya total 1.81 dan waktu
latentnya 2.80. Pada tegangan 10.0 volt dihasilkan gaya aktif sebesar 1.82 dan
gaya pasif 0.0 sehingga gaya total 1.82 dan waktu latentnya 2.80. Demikian
percobaan yang dilakukan pada activity 1. Setelah percobaan dilakukan, kami
juga menjawab beberapa pertanyaan pada Post-lab Quiz.
Periode laten adalah periode dalam waktu yang terjadi di antara
pembentukan potensial aksi di dalam sel otot sampai awal terjadinya kontraksi
otot. Meskipun tidak ada energi yang dihasilkan selama periode laten, perubahan
kimia (termasuk pelepasan kalsium dari retikulum sarkoplasma) terjadi
intraseluler dalam persiapan untuk kontraksi. Berdasarkan praktikum drylab
yang kami lakukan untuk menentukan poriode laten otot pada katak, adalah
dengan cara mengubah-ubah besarnya voltage sebagai pemicu terjadinnya
kontraksi pada otot kemudian mengamati apakah terjadi perubahan periode laten
atau tidak, apabila besarnya voltage berubah. Periode laten baru dapat diketahui
saat besarnya voltage adalah 4.0. Sedangkan dibawah nilai voltage 4.0 belum
dapat diketahui poriode latennya, hal ini disebabkan dibawah voltage 4.0,
meskipun ada pemicu kontraksi otot, tapi pemicu tersebut tidak menyebabkan
terjadinya kontraksi pada otot, dikarenakan nilainya yang kecil (lemah). Pada
besar voltage 4.0, nilai periode latennya adalah 2.80. Ketika nilai voltage kita
 ubah-ubah atau dinaikkan, periode laten nya tidak berubah. Hal ini berarti
perubahan stimulus voltage tidak akan merubah nilai periode latennya.
Untuk menentukan periode laten, dapat kita lakukan dengan merubah-
merubah stimulus yang diberikan ke otot, hingga otot berkontraksi. Waktu yang
terjadi saat stimulus diberikan ke otot hingga otot berkontraksi inilah yang
disebut dengan periode laten. Apabila stimulus ditingkatkan dari yang semula,
periode latennya tidak akan berubah, atau dengan arti lain perubahan stimulus
tidak akan merubah nilai periode latennya.

4.2. Diskusi Jawaban Pertanyaan

Pre-lab Quiz Results
1. Skeletal muscles are connected to bones by
Answer: b. Tendons
2. Skeletal muscles are composed of hundreds to thousands of individual
cells called
Answer: c. Fibers
3. The term motor unit refers to
Answer: c. one motor neuron and all of the skeletal muscle fibers it
innervates.
4. The motor neuron and muscle fiber intersect at what is called
Answer: d. the neuromuscular junction.
5. A twitch is
Answer: a. one contractile response to a single action potential.

Post-lab Quiz Results

1. An action potential in a motor neuron triggers the release of which
neurotransmitter?
Answer: b. Acetylcholine
2. The term skeletal muscle fiber refers to
Answer: a. an individual skeletal muscle cell.
3. The graded depolarization in the skeletal muscle fiber that is elicited in
response to one action potential from the motor neuron is called
Answer: c. an EPP (end-plate potential).
4. Which of the following is not a phase of a skeletal muscle twitch?
Answer: b. hyperpolarization phase
 5. A skeletal muscle twitch is
Answer: a. one contractile response to a single action potential.
6. Which of the following correctly matches the twitch phase with its
definition?
Answer: d. the contraction phase: the time between the end of the latent
period and peak muscle tension

Review Sheet Results

1. Define the terms skeletal muscle fiber, motor unit, skeletal muscle twitch,
electrical stimulus, and latent period.
Answer: Skeletal muscle fibers are usually attached to the skeleton and
make voluntary actions such as walking, talking andstanding up
possible.A motor unit consists of a motor neuron and all of the muscle
fibers it innervates.Skeletal Muscle twitch is the mechanical response to
a single action potential. It has three phases known as the
latent,contraction, and relaxation phase.Electrical stimulus is used to
control muscle contractions.Latent Period is the period of time that
elapses between the generation of an action potential in a muscle cell
and the start ofmuscle contraction.
2. What is the role of acetylcholine in a skeletal muscle contraction?
Answer: Acetylcholine diffuses onto the muscle fiber's plasma membrane
(sarcolemma) and binds to receptors in the motor endplate initiating a
change in ion permeability that results in a graded depolarization of the
muscle plasma membrane (the endplate potential).
3. Describe the process of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal
muscle fibers.
Answer: The events that occur at the neuromuscular junction lead to the
end plate potential. The end plate potential triggers a seriesof events that
results in the contraction of a muscle cell. The entire process is called the
excitation contraction coupling.
4. Describe the three phases of a skeletal muscle twitch.
Answer: The latent phase is the period of time that elapses between the
generation of an action potential in a muscle cell and thestart of muscle
contraction.
 The Concentration phase starts at the end of the latent period and ends
when the muscle tension peaks.The relaxation phase is the period from
peak tension until the end of the muscle contraction.
5. Does the duration of the latent period change with different stimulus
voltages? How well did the results compare with your prediction?
Answer: in all of the tests the latent period remained the same. The
results proved that I predicted incorrectly.
6. At the threshold stimulus, do sodium ions start to move into or out of the
cell to bring about the membrane depolarization?
Answer: During the threshold stimulus sodium ions move into the cell.

V. DAFTAR PUSTAKA
Ganong, WF. 2005. Review of Medical Physiology. 22th Edition., Appleton & Lange A
Simon & Schuster Co., Los Altos, California
Guyton, AC. and Hall, JE 2006. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 11th Edition., W.B.
Saunders Co., Philadelphia
Marieb, EN 2006. Human Anatomy and Physiology. 7th Edition., The
Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co. Inc., California
 LAMPIRAN

Data hasil praktikum