Neuromuscular Junction (Noun)
Meaning
The junction between a nerve fiber and the muscle it supplies.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The neuromuscular junction is a synapse or gap where a motor neuron's axon terminal meets the muscle fiber it supplies, allowing nerve impulses to be transmitted.
- At the neuromuscular junction, acetylcholine is released by the nerve terminal to bind with receptors on the muscle fiber, causing muscle contraction.
- Structural abnormalities in the neuromuscular junction can lead to serious muscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis.
- The transmission of nerve impulses to muscle fibers across the neuromuscular junction involves the coordinated action of several different proteins.
- Botulinum toxin works by disrupting the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, resulting in muscle paralysis.