Connective, Muscle and Neural Tissues

Question 1

What is connective tissue?

Answer 1

• Most abundant and widely distributed tissue of the body.
• Includes bone, blood, cartilage, fat and other types of tissues that support, protect, and insulate organs.
• Made up of cells, fibers and ground substance.
• Fibers and ground substance make up the noncellular matrix of the tissue

Question 2

Connective tissue - 3 types of fibers

Answer 2

1) Elastic
2) Reticular
3) Collagen

Question 3

Elastic fibers

Answer 3

Form a network within the tissue, as their fibers join one another.

Question 4

Reticular fibers

Answer 4

Thin fibers (similar to elastic fibers), which form a network (reticulum) around muscle cells and provide support to the blood vessel walls.

Question 5

Collagen fibers

Answer 5

• Made up of the protein, collagen
• Occur in different types, which are tough yet flexible
• Lay parallel to one another
• Provide great strength in bones, tendons and ligaments

Question 6

Mesenchymal cells

Answer 6

• A connective tissue cell
• Respond to the presence of pathogens (an organism that can produce disease)
• Transform into other cells that produce antimicrobial substances.
• Can also change into ‘fibroblasts’

Question 7

Fibroblasts

Answer 7

• A mesenchymal, connective tissue cell
• Assists with wound healing

Question 8

Fat cells

Answer 8

• Found in adipose connective tissue
• Contain large droplets of oil or fat
• Nucleus is pushed over to one side

Question 9

Melanocyte

Answer 9

• One connective tissue cell that produces pigment of the skin and hair.
• It’s brown pigment, melanin, colours the skin and hair fibers.

Question 10

Plasma cells

Answer 10

A cell that responds to pathogens by producing antibodies

Question 11

Mast cells

Answer 11

• Small, mobile cells that contain granules (particles in a cell’s cytoplasm that show up as small spots when the cell is examined through a microscope)
• Following injury, the granules are released to dilate blood vessels to increase blood flow to the injured area

Question 12

Macrophages (there are 2 types)

Answer 12

Involved in defence of the body tissues

1) Wandering macrophage
2) Sessile macrophage

Question 13

Wandering macrophages

Answer 13

Move around through tissues, phagocytizing (to ingest, devour) bacteria and other pathogens.

Question 14

Sessile macrophages

Answer 14

Stay in a localised area of the tissue, and actively protect the tissue from inflammatory damage

Question 15

Lymphocyte

Answer 15

• A white blood cell involved in defence of the body tissues
• Stimulated by foreign substances
• Reverts to antibody-producing plasma cells

Question 16

The cells of connective tissues

Answer 16

1) Mesenchymal cells
2) Fibroblasts
3) Fat cells
4) Melanocytes
5) Plasma cells
6) Mast cells
7) Macrophages - wandering and sessile
8) Lymphocytes (white blood cells)
9) Red blood cells

Question 17

Muscle tissues consist of…

Answer 17

muscle cells bound together, end to end, to form long muscle fibers. A muscle fiber often contains several nuclei, because it is composed of several cells.

Question 18

3 types of muscle tissue

Answer 18

1) Striated
2) Cardiac
3) Smooth

Question 19

Striated muscle

Answer 19

• Under voluntary control (you must move to contract it)
• Contain nuclei
• Have bands (lines; termed “striations”)
• Striations represent areas where the cellular microfilaments overlap

Question 20

Cardiac muscle

Answer 20

• Involuntary control (acts on its own, works automatically)
• Have nuclei and striations
• Only found in the heart

Question 21

Striated muscle is found in…

Answer 21

moving parts of the body (for example, the limbs)

Question 22

Smooth muscle

Answer 22

• Involuntary control (acts on its own, works automatically)
• Contains cells with many nuclei
• No striations - because there are fewer microfilaments, giving it a “smooth” appearance
• Found in linings of visceral organs (i.e. stomach, urinary bladder) and linings of blood vessels, where is provides support.

Question 23

The nerve cell is uniquely adapted to…

Answer 23

generate and transmit impulses.

Question 24

Cell body

Answer 24

• Found in nerve cells
• Where the cytoplasm, nucleus, organelles and other structures reside

Question 25

Axon

Answer 25

• Found in nerve cells
• Ends in numerous fibers

Question 26

Nerve impulses travel down the ____, away from the ___ ____.

Answer 26

Axon; Cell Body

Question 27

To reach the cell body, impulses arrive by means of treelike branches, called _________

Answer 27

Dendrites

Question 28

Dendrites

Answer 28

• Found in nerve cells
• Treelike branches that receive impulses from other nerve cells, transport them to the cell body for an appropriate interpretation, and continue them down the neural pathway.