Anatomy and physiology tortora & grabowski figure 1.2

The resulting condition, in which muscles are in a state of rigidity (cannot contract or stretch), is called rigor mortis (rigidity of death). ATP synthesis ceases shortly after breathing stops, however, so the cross-bridges cannot detach from actin. Calcium ions leak out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the sarcoplasm and allow myosin heads to bind to actin. After death, the cellular membranes become leaky.Ataxia can also occur as a result of degenerative diseases (multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease), trauma, brain tumors, and genetic factors, and as a side effect of medication prescribed for bipolar disorder. Such individuals have difficulty in passing sobriety tests. People who consume too much alcohol show signs of ataxia because alcohol inhibits activity of the cerebellum. Cerebellar damage may also result in staggering or abnormal walking movements. Another sign of ataxia is a changed speech pattern due to uncoordinated speech muscles. Blindfolded people with ataxia cannot touch the tip of their nose with their finger because they cannot coordinate movement with their sense of where a body part is located. Damage to the cerebellum can result in a loss of ability to coordinate muscular movements, a condition called ataxia.Hyposmia also can be caused by neurological changes, such as a head injury, Alzheimer disease, or Parkinson disease certain drugs, such as antihistamines, analgesics, or steroids and the damaging effects of smoking. Hyposmia, a reduced ability to smell, affects half of those over age 65 and 75% of those over age 80. With aging the sense of smell deteriorates. Smoking seriously impairs the sense of smell in the short term and may cause long-term damage to olfactory receptors. Women often have a keener sense of smell than men do, especially at the time of ovulation.Prolonged vitamin A deficiency and the resulting below-normal amount of rhodopsin may cause night blindness or nyctalopia, an inability to see well at low light levels. As a result, the person cannot distinguish between red and green. The most common type is red-green color blindness, in which red cones or green cones are missing. Most forms of color blindness, an inherited inability to distinguish between certain colors, result from the absence or deficiency of one of the types of cones.Principles of Anatomy and Physiology Five Interesting Functions of the Human Body

Anatomy and physiology tortora & grabowski figure 1.2