Question

While watching Olympic weight lifters on television, you notice that on several occasions an athlete would lift the weight to his chest and then suddenly drop it. Explain the possible involvement of the Golgi tendon organs in this reflex. How was the muscle inhibited? What neurotransmitters might have been involved?

Answer 1

Golgi tendon:

Golgi tendon organ is located in the musculotendinous junction that means in between the muscle and tendon which have proprioceptive sensory receptor that will sense the change in the tension of the muscle not the length of the muscle. It only sense the muscle tension change.

Here, in olympic weight lifters, on several occasions athelete would lift weight to his chest and then suddenly drop due to the golgi tendon reflex or inverse stretch reflex or autogenic inhibition.

Whenever the muscle tension increased it stimulate the golgi tendon receptor and it inhibits the muscle which results in suddden drop of limb.

A neuron from the golgi tendon is stimulated which inhibits the motor neuron of the same muscle.

When there is a change in muscle tension, the golgi tendon organ is stimulated which sends a sensory fiber Ib to the spinal cord and in spinal cord it synapses and interneuron is activated. The activated interneuron helps to release glycine a neurotransmitter which will inhibit the alpha motor neuron, thus the tension in the muscle relieved and the weight lifter drops the weight.

The neurotransmitter involved in this is glycine.