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Learning outcomes for this module as of Fall 2019:
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Topic from HAPS Guidelines (in bold font)
Learning Outcomes (indented, regular font)
1. General functions of muscle tissue
1. Describe the major functions of muscle tissue.
2. Identification, general location, and comparative characteristics of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle tissue
1. Describe the structure, location in the body, and function of skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle.
2. Compare and contrast the general microscopic characteristics of skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle.
3. Detailed gross and microscopic anatomy of skeletal muscle
1. Describe the organization of skeletal muscle, from cell (skeletal muscle fiber) to whole muscle.
2. Name the connective tissue layers that surround each skeletal muscle fiber, fascicle, entire muscle, and group of muscles and indicate the specific type of connective tissue that composes each of these layers.
3. Describe the components within a skeletal muscle fiber (e.g., sarcolemma, transverse [T] tubules, sarcoplasmic reticulum, myofibrils, thick [myosin] myofilaments, thin [actin] myofilaments, troponin, tropomyosin).
4. Define sarcomere.
5. Describe the arrangement and composition of the following components of a sarcomere: A-band, I-band, H-zone, Z-disc (line), and M-line.
6. Describe the structure of the neuromuscular junction.
4. Physiology of skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation
1. Define the sliding filament theory of skeletal muscle contraction.
2. Describe the sequence of events involved in the contraction of a skeletal muscle fiber, including events at the neuromuscular junction, excitation-contraction coupling, and cross-bridge cycling.
3. Describe the sequence of events involved in skeletal muscle relaxation.
5. Skeletal muscle metabolism
1. Describe the sources of ATP (e.g., glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, creatine phosphate) that muscle fibers use for skeletal muscle contraction.
2. Explain the factors that are believed to contribute to skeletal muscle fatigue.
3. Describe the events that occur during the recovery period from skeletal muscle activity.
4. Compare and contrast the metabolism of skeletal muscle with that of cardiac and smooth muscle.
5. Compare and contrast the anatomical and metabolic characteristics of slow oxidative (Type I), fast oxidative (Type IIa, intermediate, or fast twitch oxidative glycolytic), and fast glycolytic (Type IIb/IIx or fast twitch anaerobic) skeletal muscle fibers.
6. Principles and types of whole muscle contraction
1. Define the following terms: tension, contraction, twitch, motor unit, and myogram.
2. Interpret a myogram of a twitch contraction with respect to the duration of the latent, contraction, and relaxation periods and describe the events that occur in each period.
3. Interpret a myogram or graph of tension versus stimulus frequency and explain the physiological basis for the phenomena of treppe, summation, and tetanus.
4. Interpret a myogram or graph of tension versus stimulus intensity and explain the physiological basis for the phenomenon of recruitment.
5. Interpret a graph of the length-tension relationship and describe the anatomical basis for that relationship.
6. Compare and contrast isotonic and isometric contraction.
7. Compare and contrast concentric and eccentric contraction.
7. Nomenclature of skeletal muscles
1. Explain how the name of a muscle can help identify its action, appearance, or location.
8. Location, general attachments, and actions of the major skeletal muscles
1. Identify the location, general attachments, and actions of the major skeletal muscles.
2. Describe similar actions (functional groupings) of muscles in a particular compartment (e.g., anterior arm) or region (e.g., deep back).
9. Group actions of skeletal muscles
1. Define the terms prime mover (agonist), antagonist, synergist, and fixator.
2. For a given movement, differentiate specific muscles that function as prime mover, antagonist, synergist, or fixator.
1. *Compare and contrast the classes of levers in terms of the relative position of fulcrum, effort, and load, and describe examples of each in the human body (comparisons may include relative power and range of motion).
11. Smooth muscle
1. Describe the sources of calcium in smooth muscle contraction and explain how an increase in cytoplasmic calcium initiates contraction.
2. Compare the signals that initiate smooth muscle contraction to the signal that initiates skeletal muscle contraction.
12. Application of homeostatic mechanisms
1. Explain how the muscular system contributes to thermoregulation.
13. Predictions related to disruption of homeostasis
1. Given a factor or situation (e.g., muscular dystrophy), predict the changes that could occur in the muscular system and the consequences of those changes (i.e., given a cause, state a possible effect).
2. *Given a disruption in the structure or function of the muscular system (e.g., skeletal muscle atrophy), predict the possible factors or situations that might have caused that disruption (i.e., given an effect, predict possible causes).
Note: An asterisk (*) preceding a learning outcome designates it as an optional, advanced learning outcome. The HAPS A&P Comprehensive Exam does not address these optional learning outcomes.