16 Adaptations of the Nervous System

Which of the following best describes a motor unit?

• A single muscle fibre and all the nerves that supply it

• A single motor neurone and all the muscle fibres it innervates

• All the muscles in a limb

• A group of sensory neurones

What is the primary adaptation of motor units to regular exercise?

• Increased synchronisation and recruitment of motor units

• Decreased recruitment of motor units

• Reduced number of motor units

• Decreased firing rate of motor neurones

Which process is improved in the nervous system as a result of regular exercise, leading to faster and more efficient movement?

• Reduced neurotransmitter release

• Muscle atrophy

• Decreased synaptic activity

• Neural pathway transmission efficiency

What is meant by 'nervous inhibition' in the context of exercise?

• The process by which the nervous system increases muscle contraction

• The process by which the nervous system limits muscle contraction to prevent injury

• The process of increasing heart rate

• The process of increasing oxygen uptake

How does regular exercise affect nervous inhibition?

• It increases nervous inhibition, making muscles weaker

• It has no effect on nervous inhibition

• It decreases nervous inhibition, allowing greater force production

• It causes nervous inhibition to fluctuate randomly

Which of the following is a direct result of improved neural pathway transmission efficiency?

• Slower reaction times

• Faster and more coordinated muscle contractions

• Decreased muscle strength

• Reduced flexibility

Which muscle needs to relax to allow the agonist to contract to cause movement?

• Agonist

• Fixator

• Synergist

• Antagonist

Which adaptation is most likely to occur in the nervous system of a trained athlete compared to a sedentary individual?

• Reduced number of synapses

• Enhanced coordination and timing of muscle activation

• Increased nervous inhibition

• Decreased neural plasticity

During strength training, which neural adaptation is most responsible for initial increases in strength?

• Muscle hypertrophy

• Increased fat storage

• Improved motor unit recruitment and firing rate

• Decreased bone density

Which of the following best explains why reaction times improve with regular exercise?

• Enhanced neural pathway transmission efficiency

• Increased muscle mass

• Decreased heart rate

• Reduced blood flow to the brain