Question

You eat some bad sushi and feel that you are slowly losing control over your muscles. The bacteria you ingested from the bad sushi most likely interferes with the use of

A) Oxygen in the blood.
B) Glucose in the muscles.
C) Calcium ions in the neurons.
D) Acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction.

Answer 1

Bad sushi potentially causing muscle control loss is likely due to interference with acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, necessary for muscle contraction signaling.

When you eat bad sushi and feel a loss of muscle control, it is likely that the bacteria ingested interfere with the neuromuscular junction, specifically the release or action of acetylcholine (ACh) at this site. The neuromuscular junction is where a motor neuron is able to stimulate a muscle fiber to contract, and ACh is a crucial neurotransmitter for this process.

Conditions such as myasthenia gravis involve impairment of ACh receptors leading to muscle weakness, and toxins like botulinum and Sarin target the release of ACh or the activity of acetylcholinesterase (enzyme that breaks down ACh), respectively. Thus, the correct option is D) Acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction.