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.

Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication

Homeostasis is the relatively stable conditions of the internal environment that result from compensatory regulatory res..

The Water Cycle

The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

Bryophytes

Bryophytes (nonvascular plants) are a plant group characterized by lacking vascular tissues. They include the mosses, th..

Stems

Stems primarily provide plants structural support. This tutorial includes lectures on the external form of a woody twig ..

Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung

In this tutorial, the works of Carl Gustav Jung and Sigmund Freud are described. Both of them actively pursued the way h..

ATP & ADP – Biological Energy

ATP is the energy source that is typically used by an organism in its daily activities. The name is based on its structu..

You will also like...