Muscle tonus

Definition
noun
(1) The muscle in a steady partially contracted state caused by the successive flow of nerve impulses.
(2) The amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle.
Supplement
Muscle tonus helps in maintaining body posture. For instance, the muscles holding the jaw keep it in position with a continuous and partial contraction. When a person sleeps or loses consciousness, the muscle tonus declines.
Word origin: tonus » Greek tónos (tone)
Synonyms:

muscular tonus
muscle tone
residual muscle tension
tonus

See also: hypotonia, hypertonia.

Seed Plants

Seed plants are vascular plants. They differ from the other vascular plants in producing seeds that germinate into a new..

An artist's depiction of the origin of amphibians

Amphibians & Early Reptiles

Obtaining air outside an aquatic environment required species to acquire suitable adaptations, and this was the case of ..

Sensory Systems

A sensory system is a part of the nervous system consisting of sensory receptors that receive stimuli from the internal ..

Sugar Homeostasis

The blood sugar level is regulated by two hormones. The mechanism behind this type of negative feedback control is descr..

The Origins of Life

This tutorial digs into the past to investigate the origins of life. The section is split into geological periods in the..

Biological Cell Defense

Organisms employ different strategies to boost its defenses against antigens. Humans have an immune system to combat pat..

You will also like...