The ultimate goal of this lab experiment is to examine the physiological characteristics of skeletal muscle from frog’s thigh muscle, using LabChart. Unraveling the mystery of how a muscle function, specifically on muscle activities such as twitch recruitment, muscle summation, muscle tetanus, muscle fatigue and the correlation between stretch and contractile force. (Taylor, Deborah. 2018)[1] To understand how muscle function, we need to first look into the contraction of muscle. The initiation of muscle contraction begins with acetylcholine (Ach), a neurotransmitter that binds to the postsynaptic membrane at a neuromuscular junction, which leads to the entry of Na+ ions into the muscle fiber, generating an action potential in sarcolemma. …show more content…
(Taylor, Deborah. 2018)[4] All the materials listed on the above were consistently used throughout the experiments and can be subdivided into three equipment setups and one dissection process. Among them, LabChart, PowerLab Data Acquisition Unit and micropositioner are crucial for the recording of results. Firstly, we need to make sure that the force transducer is connected to the bridge pod by cables and he bridge pod connected to the input of PowerLab. Millimeter ruler tape adjacent to micropositioner on the ring stand. (Taylor, Deborah. 2018)[5] Secondly, force transducer must be calibrated from millivolts to Newtons, and do the necessary unit conversion while attaching a known weight on a force transducer for test recordings. (Taylor, Deborah. 2018)[6] Then, dissect the frog and isolate a gastrocnemius. Pinched a thread across the Achilles tendon of gastrocnemius, hang it vertically using micropositioner and femur clamp for support. Muscle should be touching with bipolar electrode stimulator that is connect to a ring stand. Most importantly, muscle should be rinse with Ringer’s solution at all times.