The muscular system Flashcards
Muscle structure
A muscle is a group of specialised elastic tissues Muscles comprise 23% of a woman’s and 40% of a
man’s body
Each skeletal muscle is an organ that consists of ——-
various integrated tissues these Tissues include the skeletal muscle fibres, blood vessels,
nerve fibres, and connective tissue
Each skeletal muscle has three layers of connective tissue These compartmentalize the muscle fibres within the muscle
1-Epimysium
2-Perimysium
3-Endomysium
what is Epimysium
Each muscle is wrapped in a sheath of dense connective tissue called the epimysium
* Separates muscle from other tissues and organs in
the area, allowing the muscle to move independently
what is Perimysium
Inside each skeletal muscle, muscle fibres are organized into individual bundles Each called a fascicle,
surrounded by a middle layer of connective tissue
called the perimysium
what is Endomysium
- Inside each fascicle, each muscle fibre is encased in a thin connective tissue layer of collagen and reticular fibres called the endomysium.
- The endomysium contains the extracellular fluid and nutrients to support the muscle fibre.
- These nutrients are supplied via blood to the muscle tissue.
Muscle function
- The best-known feature of skeletal muscle is its ability to contract and cause movement
- They can also stop movement E.g. resisting gravity to maintain posture
- Small, constant adjustments of the skeletal muscles are needed to hold a body upright or balanced in any position
what is Skeletal muscle
- Striated and voluntary
- Muscles under conscious control
- Has cylindrical cells which make up fibres
- Each muscle fibre (cell) is multinucleated
- Muscle fibres form bundles
- Bundles all run in the same direction
1-The plasma membrane of muscle fibers is called the-
2-The cytoplasm is referred to as ——
3-The endoplasmic reticulum is called the——-
1-sarcolemma
2-sarcoplasm
3-sarcoplasmic reticulum
The sarcomere
- The functional unit of a skeletal muscle fibre
- Contains thin filaments of actin and thick filaments of myosin
- These slide over each other during contraction
- Approximately 2μm in length
- Bordered by z-discs/z-lines
how does the The sarcomere work
- ATP and Ca+ are required for the muscle to contract
- Myosin heads on the thick filaments form cross bridges with the thin filaments
- Thin filaments slide over the thick filaments
- Sarcomere shortens
what is Smooth muscle
- Non striated and involuntary
- Found in the walls of hollow organs e.g. urinary bladder, uterus, stomach, intestines etc.
- Muscle fibres are spindle shaped
- Have a single nucleus
- Have no distinct membrane
- Also have actin and myosin
what is Cardiac muscle
-Only found in the heart
-Involuntary but similar to skeletal muscle
-Also organised into sarcomeres
-Fibres are shorter than skeletal muscle fibres
-Fibres contain only 1 nucleus
-Possess many mitochondria and myoglobin
-ATP produced mainly from aerobic respiration
-Cells connected by intercalated discs
Types of contractions
1-Isometric contraction
* As the muscle contracts its length remains the same whilst the tension increases
2-Isotonic contraction
* As the muscle contracts its length changes whilst the tension remains constant
Making movement
- Muscle contraction pulls one bone towards another moving the limb
- Muscles never work alone
- Any movement results from the actions of several muscles
- Muscles generally work in pairs
- Agonist & antagonist
The agonist is the—–
The antagonist is the——
1-contracting muscle
2-opposing relaxing muscle
The agonist and antagonist must contract and relax equally for smooth movement
what cuses muscles contract
- Impulses from a motor neuron causes muscle contraction
- Each motor neuron synapses with numerous muscle fibres
- All the muscle fibres innervated by a single motor neuron contract together
- Motor unit