One Neuron and All the Skeletal Muscles It Stimulates Is

Question

One neuron and all the skeletal muscles it stimulates is known as a ________.
A) sarcoplasmic reticulum
B) motor unit
C) synaptic cleft
D) neuromuscular junction

Accepted Answer

A motor unit consists of one neuron and all of the skeletal muscles it stimulates, meaning it is the smallest functional unit of muscle contraction. The other choices are not complete descriptions of a motor unit. The sarcoplasmic reticulum is an organelle in muscle fibers that stores and releases calcium ions necessary for muscle contraction. The synaptic cleft is the gap between the neuron and the muscle fiber at the neuromuscular junction. The neuromuscular junction is the area where the axon terminal of the neuron and the muscle fiber meet.