Smooth Muscle

Question 1

What are examples of tonic smooth muscles?

Answer 1

sphincters, blood vessels, airways

Question 2

What are examples of phasic smooth muscles?

Answer 2

muscles of the esophagus (swallowing), urinary bladder (urinating), stomach, intestines (peristalsis)

Question 3

Muscles that are normally contracted (or partially contracted), generate variable steady-state force, and relax only briefly.

Answer 3

tonic smooth muscles

Question 4

Muscles that commonly exhibit rhythmic contractions but may contract intermittently during voluntary control.

Answer 4

phasic smooth muscles

Question 5

Smooth muscle contractile apparatus attaches to _______.

Answer 5

dense bodies

Question 6

True or false: smooth muscles can be mechanically and/or electrically coupled.

Answer 6

True! Smooth muscles contain dense bodies for mechanical coupling and gap junctions for electrical/chemical coupling.

Question 7

Dense bodies are the equivalent to what in striated muscle?

Answer 7

Z lines