Muscle Physiology and Bone Structure

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to muscle physiology and the structure of bone, based on lecture notes.

Skeletal Muscle Contraction

The process by which skeletal muscles generate force, involving recruitment of muscle fibers.

Perimysium

The connective tissue surrounding a fascicle of muscle fibers.

Osteoclasts

Cells responsible for bone resorption and maintaining calcium homeostasis.

Collagen

A structural protein that provides strength and flexibility to bones and connective tissues.

Calcitriol

The active form of vitamin D that increases calcium absorption in the digestive tract.

Endochondral Ossification

The formation of bone tissue from a cartilage model.

Osteoblasts

Immature bone-building cells responsible for bone formation.

Osteon

The basic structural unit of compact bone.

Rigor Mortis

The postmortem stiffening of muscles due to depletion of ATP.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contractions at the neuromuscular junction.

Sliding Filament Theory

The concept that actin and myosin filaments slide past each other during muscle contraction.

Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

A specialized endoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells that stores and releases calcium ions.

Troponin

A protein that regulates muscle contraction by blocking myosin binding sites on actin filaments.

Power Stroke

The phase of muscle contraction when myosin heads pull actin filaments toward the center of the sarcomere.

Z Line

The structure that delineates the boundaries of a sarcomere in muscle fibers.