KYMOGRAPH
Kymograph is a physiological instrument used for recording various types of muscular
contraction.
The instrument consists of a motor, a central rod, a rotating drum covered by a smoked
paper, a stand, a battery, a switch and an induction coil. The muscle is suspended from the
clamp of a stand. The free end of the muscle is tied with a lever. The lever has a
pointer which is directed to the rotating drum. A battery supplies the electric current
which acts as the stimulus. The current passes through an induction coil. There is a switch to
off-on the current. A smoked paper is pasted on the rotating drum. The speed of the drum
can be adjusted by a gear system.
The muscle selected for studying muscle twitch is frog’s gastrocnemius muscle (thigh
muscle). The two terminals of the wires coming out from the induction coil are connected to
the two ends of the muscles. When an electric shock is given, the muscle contracts and
hence shortens. As a result the pointer moves up and makes a line on the smoked paper of
the moving drum. When the muscle relaxes, the pointer goes down and a muscle
curve isrecorded on the paper.
Muscle twitch: The response of a muscle twitch to a single stimulus is known as a
simple muscle twitch. A Simple muscle twitch consists of three stages:
Latent period,
Period of Contraction
Period of Relaxation
The latent period is the time interval between the application of the stimulus and
beginning of the muscle contraction. The contraction phase is the time during which the
muscle attains the maximum contraction. The period of relaxation is the period from the
summit to the base. A muscle twitch takes 0.1 second.
Summation: when the second stimulus is given to the muscle that has not yet
completed its contraction phase of twitch due to first stimulus it will contract further.
The second stimulus increases the magnitude of the first stimulus and this
brings about a great shortening of the muscle that caused by a single stimulus. This is
called summation.
Staircase Phenomenon: when stimuli of constant strength at the frequency of one per
second are given to the muscles a series of simple muscle curves are obtained. Each
succeeding contraction is little greater than the preceding one. The record appears
likea staircase of increasing height. This is the treppe or staircase phenomenon.
Tetanus: It is the state of continued contraction of the muscle caused by the repeated
stimulation. It is the fusion of contractions. In tetanus, there is sustained contraction
with no relaxation. There is not time for relaxation as the muscle is repeatedly
stimulated. Hence the muscle remains in the contracted state.
Fatigue: When the muscle is repeatedly stimulated, the muscle loses its irritability
becomes gradually less excitable and ultimately it fails to contract. Fatigue is a
feelingof tiredness.
