GTO

Italian pathologist, 1843–1926.

A lamellar membranous organelle in almost all cells, best viewed by electron microscopy. It consists of curved parallel series of flattened sacs that are often expanded at their ends. In secretory cells, the apparatus concentrates and packages the secretory product. Its function in other cells, although apparently important, is poorly understood.

A multipolar nerve cell in the cerebral cortex and posterior horns of the spinal cord. Type I possesses long axons; type II, short axons.

A spindle-shaped structure at the junction of a muscle and a tendon. The structure is thought to function as a feedback system that senses muscle tension through tendon stretch, inhibits muscle contraction of the agonist, and facilitates contraction of the antagonistic muscle. The purpose of this mechanism, known as autogenic facilitation, is to prevent overuse and damage to the muscle and corresponding joint.

A spindle-shaped structure at the junction of a muscle and a tendon. The structure is thought to function as a feedback system that senses muscle tension through tendon stretch, inhibits muscle contraction of the agonist, and facilitates contraction of the antagonistic muscle. The purpose of this mechanism, known as autogenic facilitation, is to prevent overuse and damage to the muscle and corresponding joint.

See also: Golgi, Camillo