National Cancer Institute Thesaurus

Last uploaded: February 23, 2024
Preferred Name

Muscle Spindle

Synonyms

Muscle Spindle

Muscle Spindles

Definitions

The Muscle Spindle is composed of intrafusal fibers that are located within and run parallel to the extrafusal fibers of skeletal muscle. When the extrafusal fibers are stretched, the intrafusal fibers of the spindle stretch as well. When stretching occurs, the sensory neuron from the muscle spindle signals the motor neurons located within the ventral horn of the spinal cord. This signal causes the motor neurons to fire, resulting in contraction of the muscle. This reflex arc provides negative feedback. The muscular contraction induced by the stretching works against or negates further muscle stretch. This mechanism helps to maintain proper muscle tension or tone. Although the muscle spindle helps to maintain proper muscle tension, unlike the Golgi tendon organ, it is not an indicator of muscle tension, but rather of muscle length.

ID

http://ncicb.nci.nih.gov/xml/owl/EVS/Thesaurus.owl#C13824

code

C13824

DEFINITION

The Muscle Spindle is composed of intrafusal fibers that are located within and run parallel to the extrafusal fibers of skeletal muscle. When the extrafusal fibers are stretched, the intrafusal fibers of the spindle stretch as well. When stretching occurs, the sensory neuron from the muscle spindle signals the motor neurons located within the ventral horn of the spinal cord. This signal causes the motor neurons to fire, resulting in contraction of the muscle. This reflex arc provides negative feedback. The muscular contraction induced by the stretching works against or negates further muscle stretch. This mechanism helps to maintain proper muscle tension or tone. Although the muscle spindle helps to maintain proper muscle tension, unlike the Golgi tendon organ, it is not an indicator of muscle tension, but rather of muscle length.

FULL_SYN

Muscle Spindle

Muscle Spindles

label

Muscle Spindle

Legacy Concept Name

Muscle_Spindle

Preferred_Name

Muscle Spindle

prefixIRI

Thesaurus:C13824

Semantic_Type

Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component

UMLS_CUI

C0027871

subClassOf

http://ncicb.nci.nih.gov/xml/owl/EVS/Thesaurus.owl#C25769

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