Chapter 15.5: Muscle Contractions

Did you know your muscles play a role in coordination? Coordination in a way is similar to homeostasis in the sense that a stimulus results in the generation of nerve impulses which are transmitted through the reflex arc until they reach an effector. Very often, the effector is a muscle. In this video, I explain how muscles contract. I highlight the role of calcium ions in allowing myosin and actin to bind to form cross-bridges and how this results in what is often referred to as the sliding filament mechanism.