Golgi tendon organs are sensory receptors located at the musculotendinous junction; they monitor active tension generated by the muscle during a contraction. What are they called?

Golgi tendon organs are sensory receptors located at the musculotendinous junction; they monitor active tension generated by the muscle during a contraction. What are they called?

• A. Golgi tendon organs
• B. Muscle spindles
• C. Pacinian corpuscles
• D. Free nerve endings

Answer: (A)

Golgi tendon organs are specialized sensory receptors located at the musculotendinous junction that monitor active tension generated by a muscle during contraction. They respond to the force transmitted through the tendon, not just to stretch, and help regulate force to prevent damage by triggering autogenic inhibition—a pathway where high tendon tension leads to decreased muscle activation via inhibitory interneurons. This makes them distinct from muscle spindles, which sense muscle length and rate of length change (they are in parallel with muscle fibers and drive the stretch reflex). Pacinian corpuscles detect vibration and deep pressure, mainly in the skin, and free nerve endings sense pain and temperature. Therefore, the described receptors are Golgi tendon organs.

Golgi tendon organs are specialized sensory receptors located at the musculotendinous junction that monitor active tension generated by a muscle during contraction. They respond to the force transmitted through the tendon, not just to stretch, and help regulate force to prevent damage by triggering autogenic inhibition—a pathway where high tendon tension leads to decreased muscle activation via inhibitory interneurons. This makes them distinct from muscle spindles, which sense muscle length and rate of length change (they are in parallel with muscle fibers and drive the stretch reflex). Pacinian corpuscles detect vibration and deep pressure, mainly in the skin, and free nerve endings sense pain and temperature. Therefore, the described receptors are Golgi tendon organs.