Golgi tendon body

The Golgi tendon bodies are among the proprioreceptors. They are located in the tendons in close proximity to the connection of the tendon with the muscle, in one muscle there are approximately the same number of muscle spindles (approximately 1 tendon body per 10 muscle fibers). They are connected in series with the muscle fibers. The corpuscles are formed by a group of branches of a thicker Ib fiber that ends between the fibers of the tendon. Ib fibers carry information from the tendon bodies to the CNS. The entire termination is covered with a fine fibrous sheath. The task of the tendon bodies is to prevent overstrain (overload) of the muscle and tendon, at the same time they are also sensitive to the tension of the contraction and cooperate with the muscle spindles. The bodies are activated by stretching the tendon (during muscle contraction, when muscle tension increases). The information conducted from the corpuscles then causes the alpha-motoneurons that motorically innervate this muscle to be depressed. This is the so-called proprioreceptive (myotatic, stretching) reflex.

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