Muscular System Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to the muscular system.

Skeletal muscle

Muscle tissue that is attached to bones, contains striated cells, and is voluntary.

Smooth muscle

Muscle tissue that is involuntary, doesn't contain striated cells, and functions as peristalsis, keeping a steady beat in muscle contractions.

Cardiac muscle

Muscle tissue that is involuntary, contains striated cells, has interwoven branches, and acts as a single unit connected by intercalated discs, found in the heart.

Striations

Stripes in the skeletal and cardiac tissues that cause muscle contractions.

Myofibrils

Structures made up of actin and myosin that play a role in contracting muscle.

Myosin

Thick protein filament in a myofibril.

Actin

Thin protein filament in a myofibril.

Fascicles

Bundles of muscle fibers.

Origin

The point of muscle attachment that is immovable.

Insertion

The point of muscle attachment that is movable.

Sarcomere

The contractile unit of muscle made up of myofilaments actin, myosin, troponin, and tropomyosin.

ATP

The energy required for muscle contraction.

Acetylcholine

The neurotransmitter that causes muscles to contract, sent by a neuron.

Sarcolemma

The thin tubular sheath that surrounds muscle fibers.

Neuromuscular junction

The place where the axon end and the synapse are located, causing muscle contraction.