Human Anatomy Study Guide

Chapter 10: Muscle Tissue and Organization

General Characteristics of ALL Muscle

o Excitability
o Contractibility/Extensibility
o Elasticity

Insertion: moveable end of the muscle that attaches to the bone being pulled
Origin: fixed end of the muscle
Agonist Muscle: principal muscle involved in an action (biceps brachii when doing a curl)
Synergist: muscle that assists the principal muscle in an action (brachialis assists biceps brachii)
Antagonist Muscle: muscle with the opposite movement as the principal muscle
o Important for maintaining body or limb position (standing erect)
o Important for controlling rapid movement (punching the air, pulling punches)
o Examples of Agonist/Antagonist Muscles:
 Extend the Knee
 Quadriceps Femoris = agonist of knee extension
 Hamstrings = antagonist of knee extension
 Flexing the Forearm
 Biceps Brachii = agonist of forearm flexion
 Triceps Brachii = antagonist of forearm flexion (extends it)
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Skeletal Muscle (striated, voluntary movements)

Epimysium
- Functions of Skeletal Muscle: Mus c le
Mus c le fibe r Endomysium
o Movement
o Posture
Fas c ic le Perimysium
o Thermoregulation
o Storage Epimys ium
o Support/Joint Stability
- General Structural Organization of Skeletal Muscle (epi  peri  endo)
o Deep fascia, epimysium (most superficial)
 Fascicle (perimysium)
 Fiber (endomysium, sarcolemma)
o Myofibrils (embedded in sarcoplasm)
 Myofilaments
o Sarcoplasmic Reticulum: sleeve system surrounding each myofibril, function to store
and release calcium during muscle contraction
 Transverse Tubules: located at each of the A band – I band junctions, impulse
travels along sarcolemma, carries impulse to the interior of the muscle fiber
 Terminal Cisternae: enlarged areas of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, surrounding
the transverse (T) tubules – forming what’s known as a “triad”, carries impulse
to sarcoplasmic reticulum  release of Ca2+
Neuromuscular Junction: junction between the terminal branch of the nerve fiber and muscle fiber,
where the signal is transferred for muscle contraction

- Acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) causes the depolarization of the local membrane as Na+

enters, triggering an action potential. The depolarization of the local membrane and T-tubules
triggers the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. These Ca2+ ions cause
troponin to bind and reveals the myosin binding sites on the actin filaments

Sarcomere: functional contractile unit of skeletal muscle

- Sliding Filament Theory: when an impulse reaches the muscle fibers of a motor unit (individual
motor neuron + the muscle fibers it stimulates), it stimulates a reaction in each sarcomere
between the actin and myosin filaments – starting the sliding of the filaments.
o The heads of the myosin (thick) filament reach forward and attach to actin (thin)
filament, pulling the actin towards the center of the sarcomere – this happens
simultaneously in all sarcomeres, leading to the shortening of all sarcomeres
(contracting muscle).
o Upon release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, troponin (currently in the
troponin-tropomyosin binding complex) binds to Ca2+, allowing myosin access to the
binding sites on actin (forms cross bridge).
o End result of muscle contraction/shortening of sarcomere
 H Zone (only thick filament) shortens/disappears as thin and thick filaments
overlap
 Z Discs come closer together as distance between them gets closer
 I Band (light band, only thin filament) shortens as more of the thin filament
overlaps with thick filament
 A Band (dark band, both thin and thick filament) lengthens as more of the thin
filament overlaps with thick filament
Muscle Tension

- Isotonic Contraction: tension in the muscle stays constant, two types, angle of skeletal joint
changes
o Concentric: muscle shortening to move a load
 Ex: biceps brachii contracting when a dumbbell is curled upwards, sarcomeres
are shortening and cross bridges are forming to pull actin filaments
o Eccentric: muscle tension diminishes and muscle lengthens
 Ex: dumbbell is lowered from top of curl in a slow and controlled manner, cross
bridges are disbanding and releases tension
- Isometric Contraction: muscle produces tension without changing the angle of the skeletal joint
o Sarcomere shortens and muscle tension increases, but a load is not moved
 Ex: maintaining posture and bone/joint stability are isometric
 Ex: when you try to curl a weight that’s too heavy, reaching the point where you
can’t curl it any higher is isometric

Motor Units: group of muscle fibers innervated by a single motor neuron

- Large motor unit: back and thigh muscles, one motor neuron controls thousands of muscle
fibers in a muscle for “simple” movement, such as extending the leg at the knee joint

Muscle Tone: muscles are continuously under tension – stabilize joints and maintain posture. The
process is cyclical, so that certain muscles take over when the other gets tired, ensuring that the muscles
don’t fatigue completely.

- Hypertrophy: excessive muscle tone caused by damage to motor neurons in the central nervous
system. Other symptoms include excessive reflex response and muscle rigidity. Normal
hypertrophy occurs through growth, puberty, and weight training
o Weight/resistance training increases the development of connective tissue, which adds
to overall mass of the muscle, also increases strength of the tendons
- Atrophy: absence of low level contractions, resulting from damage to the central nervous
system. Muscles appear flaccid and can display functional impairments, such as weak reflexes

Aponeurosis: variant of deep fascia, takes form of a sheet of white dense fibrous collagenous tissue that
joins muscles and the body parts they act upon (such as bone or muscles)

- Similar to that of a tendon, which is also composed of dense fibrous connective tissue 
collagen fibers are the basic units of a tendon

Cardiac Muscle: muscle only found in the heart, responsible for the contractions of the heart to pump
blood into the vessels of the circulatory system. Similar to skeletal muscle in that they’re striated and
organized into sarcomeres, but fibers are shorter than skeletal muscle fibers and contain only one
nucleus.

- Intercalated discs: structural formations found between myocardial cells of the heart that allow
signals to be transmitted between cells (coordinated muscle contraction)
 - Responsible for involuntary movements, autorhythmitic (pacemaker cells are self-excitable and
can fire action potentials on their own – sets heart rate), contains branching (y-shaped), can
have slow and fast contractions, and has limited regeneration.

Smooth Muscle: found in the walls of hollow organs like intestines and stomach, involved in many
“housekeeping” functions of the body such as moving food through the body.

- Also responsible for involuntary movements, more long/spindle shaped, contain one nucleus,
DOES NOT have striations, also has autorhythmitic characteristics, but mainly focused on slow
contractions and high regeneration.