MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Bowditch effect is also known as the Treppe phenomenon, staircase phenomenon, or frequency-dependent activation. It refers to the idea that an increase in heart rate increases the force of contraction generated by the myocardial cells with each heartbeat despite accounting for all other influences.

Detailed explanation-2: -The staircase phenomenon describes the fact that repetitive stimulation of a motor nerve under anaesthesia evokes muscle contractions of increasing amplitude of the corresponding muscle.

Detailed explanation-3: -4. The “treppe” exhibited in intact human skeletal muscle, as shown in the initial increase in the extent of the knee-jerk, is probably caused by the accumulation of small amounts of the commonly recognized fatigue products: carbon dioxide, lactic acid and manopotassium phosphate.

Detailed explanation-4: -This tension increase is called treppe, a condition where muscle contractions become more efficient. It’s also known as the “staircase effect” (Figure 5). It is believed that treppe results from a higher concentration of Ca++ in the sarcoplasm resulting from the steady stream of signals from the motor neuron.

Detailed explanation-5: -A phenomenon in cardiac muscle first observed by H.P. Bowditch; if a number of stimuli of the same intensity are sent into the muscle after a quiescent period, the first few contractions of the series show a successive increase in amplitude (strength). Synonym: staircase phenomenon.