Graded muscle response

Definition

Graded muscle response is the ability of a muscle to exhibit varying levels of contraction strength in response to different levels of stimulation. This ensures muscles can produce precise movements or apply the necessary force for specific tasks.

Related terms

Motor Unit:

A motor unit consists of one motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates, working together to facilitate movement.

Twitch: A twitch is a single, brief contraction and relaxation cycle in a skeletal muscle in response to a single stimulus.

Summation:

Summation refers to the phenomenon where consecutive stimuli applied to a muscle before it can fully relax from the previous twitch cause stronger contractions