Welcome to Bioc 415

• Brief description & policies
• Assignments

Course activities

• First session
• Membrane labs
• Nerve labs
• Nerve/muscle labs

On-line resources

Introductory lab manual (Bioc 211)
Bioc 311 resources

Bioc 415 manual (pdf)

Bioc 415 appendixes (pdf)

Pre-lab discussion (Wednesday 21 Sep – 2:15 pm GRB W100)

• Discussion - velocity and refractory data
• Review - excitation/contraction coupling in muscle
• Motor unit and recruitment of muscle fibers to produce tension
• Muscle compound action potential
• Calcium cycling, Treppe, tetanus

Laboratory (Monday 26 Sep – GRB W112)

***The first research paper is due in class today***

• Demonstration – frog nerve-muscle preparation and set up for recording
• Calibrate force transducers and muscle stands
• Set up a nerve/muscle preparation
• Collect recruitment data
• Collect data on Treppe and tetanus

Preparation for next time

• Finish reading chapter 3 of the manual
• Conduct a preliminary analysis of the data conducted today
• Prepare an experimental design with which to study the isotonic and isometric length-tension relationships

Pre-lab discussion (Wednesday 28 Sep – 2:15 pm GRB W100)

• Discussion - recruitment data and responses to variable stimulus frequency (Treppe and tetanus)
• Principles of isotonic and isometric contractions
• Suggestions for conducting experiments and collecting data
• Suggestions for exploring the source of preparation fatigue

Laboratory (Monday 3 Oct – 1 pm GRB W112)

• Set up a nerve/muscle preparation and conduct the length-tension experiments
• Fatigue the preparation, design and conduct one or more experiments to reveal the source of fatigue

Final assignment

The second and final ressearch paper will be due in two weeks. You may write up either the nerve studies or the nerve/muscle studies. Please deliver the paper to the instructor's office (ABL 327), to the instructor's IN box (same location), or to the instructor's mailbox in GRB W100. The paper is due at 4 pm Monday 17 Oct.