Factors Leading to Joseph's Dehydration: A Case Study

Neurons transmit information to each other and to muscles, organs and glands. The nerve impulse is sent from the axon of one neuron to the dendrite of another neuron. The neuromuscular junction as labeled in Part A of this assignment, shows that there is a space between the axon of a neuron and the motor plate of the muscle cell. The two parts do not actually touch each other. When the football player’s brain sends a message to move during the game, the nerve impulse is sent from neuron to muscle cell. The space (synapse) between the axon of a motor neuron and a muscle cell is called a neuromuscular junction. The axon of the motor neuron contains synaptic vesicles which contains thousands of molecules of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This acetylcholine is released into the space between the axon and the muscle cell. The muscle cell membrane has receptors to accept or to bond with the acetylcholine. This region is called the motor end plate. When the acetylcholine bonds with the protein receptors in the motor end plate, sodium and potassium gates in the region open at the same time

What environmental and behavioral factors led to Joseph's dehydration event? (4 points)

The day of the game was in August. It was still hot. It was summer. His team had to play offense, defense and special teams. They did not have enough players that day. The game was long and had lasted 3 hours. It was not clear from the case study if they were consuming energy drinks or any other fluids during the game. I may be right in assuming they were unable to refuel during the game because they did not have a full team meaning that they did not have many breaks. The players were fatigued.

3. In the lesson, you learned how a nerve impulse transmits through a neuron and into muscle tissue. Using this knowledge, can you explain why dehydration caused Joseph's muscle cramping? Please be detailed with your response. Hint: During dehydration, people lose a large amount of sodium. (5