9. Muscle Tissue Flashcards
What is muscle tissue?
Muscles have specialized cells (muscle fibers) that respond to stimulation
Internal changes that shorten the cells
Muscle functions
Facilitates movement, open and close body passageways, thermoregulation, and maintain posture and support for joints
How do muscles facilitate movement?
As cells shorten (contract), they exert physical forces on attached tissues and produce movement
Types of movement facilitated by muscle
Voluntary motion, blood circulation, respiratory activities, propulsion of materials through digestive tract, and waste elimination
What muscles control the opening and closing of body passageways
Sphincter muscles
How do muscles thermoregulate?
Contraction and relaxation produce heat
Basis of muscle types
Cells- myocytes (or myofibers or muscle fibers)
Muscle types differ in structure and function
Types of muscles
Skeletal, smooth, and cardiac
Location, function, shape, and length of skeletal muscle
Location: throughout body
Function: movement, etc
Shape: cylindrical cells (muscle fibers)
Length: long (super long) cells
Characteristics of skeletal muscle
Striated cells
peripherally located multinucleated cells
under voluntary control
Location, function, shape, and length of smooth muscle
Location: GI, urinary, vascular tissues
Function: contraction causes controlled movement of material
Shape: fusiform (spindle-shaped)
Length: short
Characteristics of smooth muscle
Lacks striation
Single, central nucleus
Involuntary
Location, function, shape, and length of cardiac muscle
Location: confined to myocardium (muscle of the heart)
Function: contracts heart to pump blood
Shape: bifurcated (Y-shaped)
Length: short
Characteristics of cardiac muscle
Striated
Central,y located mono- or binculeated
Involuntary
Intercalated discs - rapid transport of nervous stimulus
Skeletal muscle organization
Muscle
Fascicle
Muscle fiber (cell)
Myofibrils (repeating sarcomeres)
Myofilaments (actin/myosin)