Why Do Individual Muscle Twitches Have to Be Added Together

question 60

Multiple Choice

Why do individual muscle twitches have to be added together, as in summation or tetanus?

• A) Only added twitches produce any muscle contraction: A fiber undergoing a muscle twitch does not contract at all.
• B) There has to be a critical mass of muscle twitches for calcium to be released into the muscle cell.
• C) Not enough acetylcholine will be produced for contraction without multiple twitches.
• D) Multiple twitches add up to an increase in muscle fiber tension, which increases the strength of the muscle.
• E) Not enough ATP is generated by one muscle twitch.