Muscle Twitch

UNIVERSITI PERUBATAN ANTARABANGSA

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

MALAYSIA

Bachelor of Nursing (Hons)

Programme

Human Biology

NU112

Semester 1

2012

Name: Monica Iskandar

Student ID: NU0912032608

Exercise 1: The effects of nerve stimulation

A. Describe briefly what you have done for this section (maximum 100 words).

For this section, the experiment started with first setting up the Stimulus Isolator into : continuous, frequency of 1 Hz, 200µs as the pulse duration, and 10 mA as the pulse current with the stimulator being switched off. Start the Isolated Stimulator, making sure the Isolated Stimulator status light flashes yellow. Place the prepared stimulus electrode bar properly on volunteer’s ulnar nerve (preferably on the left hand), with the leads pointing towards the elbow. Switch on the Isolated Stimulus (note that the status light now flashes green), observe the twitches on the thumb and fingers. Adjust the electrode bar location to the point where it produces the largest twitches. Make sure the electrode bar’s position is fixed, and then turn off the Isolated Stimulus.

B. What are the observations that you have made? (maximum 150 words)

From observing the experiment, contrary to the given instruction, the largest twitches were achieved by placing the stimulus electrode bar on the volunteer’s radial nerve, instead of the ulnar nerves. The twitches produced were consistence with the given stimulus current. The muscles that were affected defers as the electrode bar moved to different sites on the arm.

Exercise 2: Twitch response and recruitment

A. Describe briefly what you have done for this section (maximum 100 words).

For the second part of the experiment,

B. What are the observations that you have made? (maximum 150 words)

C. Please provide answers to the following questions.

1. Did you get a measurable twitch with a stimulus of 0 mA?

There was no measurable twitch recorded with the given stimulus....