Muscular system Flashcards
Cardiac muscle
Striated and involuntary, Makes up the wall of the heart.
Smooth muscle
Smooth and involuntary, Found in other organs such as those of the digestive system
Skeletal muscle
Striated, voluntary and fatigue easily. Attaches to bone, responsible for all movement. Most common muscle tissue in the human body)
Sarcomere
The contractile unit of muscle tissue
Z line
The lateral boundary of the sarcomere where the myofilament actin attaches.
Glycogen
The stored form of glucose found in the liver and muscles
Myofibrils
Parallel filaments that form muscle
Myofilaments
The filaments of myofibrils composed of actin and myosin
Actin
The thin filaments of muscle myofilaments where myosin binds to generate muscle contraction
Myosin
The thick filaments of myofilaments with a fibrous head, neck, and tail that binds to actin.
Endomysium
the connective tissue covering each muscle fiber.
Epimysium
Fibrous elastic tissue that surrounds a muscle
Fasciculi
Bundles of muscle fibers; the singular is ‘‘fascicle’’
Perimysium
The connective tissue that covers a bundle of muscle fibers
Tendon
A strong fibrous connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone
Periosteum
a dense layer of vascular connective tissue enveloping the bones except at the surfaces of the joints
Requirement for muscle contraction
Must receive a signal from the CNS
Neuromuscular junction
the space between a motor neuron and muscle fiber
Neurotransmitter
a chemical messenger that transmits messages between neurons or from neurons to muscles
Acetylcholine
the neurotransmitter (unique to the motor neuron) released by an action potential at the neuromuscular junction
Sliding-filament theory
the interaction of actin and myosin that describes the process of muscle contraction
From what are muscles made of
Muscles are made up of sarcomeres—a contractile unit of a myofibril (muscle fiber)
Size principle of fiber recruitment (also called Henneman’s size principle)
principle stating that motor units are recruited in order according to their recruitment thresholds and firing rates. In other words, motor units will be recruited in order from smallest and slowest firing rate to largest and fastest firing rate.
muscle fiber Type I
slow-twitch fibers and aerobic (good for endurance)