NEW UPDATE 2026 TIPS FOR PHY2011 – Neuroscience of Communication, Sensory and Control Systems exam
paper structure ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Monash University
Materials for you to use as well as the practise materials on
Moodle
- I won’t go through this now
PHY 2011 exam paper structure
SECTION 1. MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY
- marked /20 → worth 4 marks for semester
5 Extended questions (each marked out of 3 = 15)
5 MCQs (each marked out of 1 = 5)
Topics to focus on:
Structure of muscle & of the myofilaments
Mechanisms for force grading, especially motor units
How cross-bridge cycling occurs
Excitation-contraction coupling
Isometric vs Isotonic contraction
11
, PHY 2011 exam paper structure
SECTION 2. MOVEMENT CONTROL
- marked /20 → worth 4 marks for semester
5 Extended questions (each marked out of 3 = 15)
5 MCQs (each marked out of 1 = 5)
Topics to focus on:
1 x Muscle sensors
1 x Muscle force grading
1 x Descending Upper Motor Neuron systems
1 x Balance control
1 x Cortical control of fine movement
and
Muscle spindles, Tendon organs & Flexor withdrawal reflex
NOTE: not necessarily in that order
Skeletal Muscle – Structure
12
, Myocyte (muscle cell)
& it’s Myofibrils
1
2
3
4
5
6
10–100 μm diameter; Length: few mm - almost 1 m
Surrounded by plasma membrane (sarcolemma)
Cytoplasm (sarcoplasm):
• Mainly myofibrils (proteins) – repeating sarcomeres of myofilaments
(thick & thin filaments) & other molecules.
• Parallel myofibril arrays of overlapping thick & thin filaments = stripy look.
• Cytoplasmic cords between myofibrils store glycogen & have mitochondria.
• Myoglobin to store O2
Thick filament – bundle ≈300 Myosin molecules
Superfamily of motor proteins
Muscle contraction & other motility processes - interacts with actin;
ATP-dependent
Myosin = Large (MW 470,000 daltons)
2 heavy chains, each with 2 light chains = 2 heavy + 4 light chains
Each globular
head associated
with 2 light
chains:
Heavy chain = long rigid tail + globular head:
Head – 2 binding sites: to hydrolyze ATP & to interact
with actin.
•
13
, Thin filaments - Actin
Actin filaments (F-actin) formed from “beads” of G-actin
molecules, using ATP
Each G actin has binding site for myosin globular head.
Filament has minus end & plus end – G actin polymerization
to form F actin faster at + end (Z disk end).
In sarcomeres, ends of filaments capped for stability.
Tropomodulin caps “minus” end
CapZ anchors “plus” end at Z disc, which also contains
actinin.
Draped across actin filaments - long filament coat of two
proteins, TM & TN (TN-TM complex).
Regulatory proteins –
Tropomyosin (TM) & Troponin (Tn) complex
TnC & TnI)
14
paper structure ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Monash University
Materials for you to use as well as the practise materials on
Moodle
- I won’t go through this now
PHY 2011 exam paper structure
SECTION 1. MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY
- marked /20 → worth 4 marks for semester
5 Extended questions (each marked out of 3 = 15)
5 MCQs (each marked out of 1 = 5)
Topics to focus on:
Structure of muscle & of the myofilaments
Mechanisms for force grading, especially motor units
How cross-bridge cycling occurs
Excitation-contraction coupling
Isometric vs Isotonic contraction
11
, PHY 2011 exam paper structure
SECTION 2. MOVEMENT CONTROL
- marked /20 → worth 4 marks for semester
5 Extended questions (each marked out of 3 = 15)
5 MCQs (each marked out of 1 = 5)
Topics to focus on:
1 x Muscle sensors
1 x Muscle force grading
1 x Descending Upper Motor Neuron systems
1 x Balance control
1 x Cortical control of fine movement
and
Muscle spindles, Tendon organs & Flexor withdrawal reflex
NOTE: not necessarily in that order
Skeletal Muscle – Structure
12
, Myocyte (muscle cell)
& it’s Myofibrils
1
2
3
4
5
6
10–100 μm diameter; Length: few mm - almost 1 m
Surrounded by plasma membrane (sarcolemma)
Cytoplasm (sarcoplasm):
• Mainly myofibrils (proteins) – repeating sarcomeres of myofilaments
(thick & thin filaments) & other molecules.
• Parallel myofibril arrays of overlapping thick & thin filaments = stripy look.
• Cytoplasmic cords between myofibrils store glycogen & have mitochondria.
• Myoglobin to store O2
Thick filament – bundle ≈300 Myosin molecules
Superfamily of motor proteins
Muscle contraction & other motility processes - interacts with actin;
ATP-dependent
Myosin = Large (MW 470,000 daltons)
2 heavy chains, each with 2 light chains = 2 heavy + 4 light chains
Each globular
head associated
with 2 light
chains:
Heavy chain = long rigid tail + globular head:
Head – 2 binding sites: to hydrolyze ATP & to interact
with actin.
•
13
, Thin filaments - Actin
Actin filaments (F-actin) formed from “beads” of G-actin
molecules, using ATP
Each G actin has binding site for myosin globular head.
Filament has minus end & plus end – G actin polymerization
to form F actin faster at + end (Z disk end).
In sarcomeres, ends of filaments capped for stability.
Tropomodulin caps “minus” end
CapZ anchors “plus” end at Z disc, which also contains
actinin.
Draped across actin filaments - long filament coat of two
proteins, TM & TN (TN-TM complex).
Regulatory proteins –
Tropomyosin (TM) & Troponin (Tn) complex
TnC & TnI)
14
