Muscle Tissue

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to muscle tissue from the provided lecture notes.

Skeletal Muscle Tissue

Muscle tissue that is striated, voluntary, and primarily responsible for moving bones.

Cardiac Muscle Tissue

Striated muscle tissue that is involuntary and found in the walls of the heart.

Smooth Muscle Tissue

Non-striated muscle tissue that is involuntary and found in the walls of hollow internal structures.

Excitability

The ability of muscle tissue to respond to a stimulus.

Contractility

The ability of muscle tissue to contract forcefully when stimulated.

Extensibility

The ability of muscle tissue to stretch without being damaged.

Elasticity

The ability of muscle tissue to return to its original length after stretching.

Fascia

A dense sheet or broad band of irregular connective tissue that surrounds the muscle.

Epimysium

The outermost layer of connective tissue surrounding a muscle.

Tendon

A cord that attaches a muscle to a bone.

Sarcolemma

The plasma membrane of a muscle cell.

Myofibrils

Thread-like structures in muscle fibers that have a contractile function.

Sarcomeres

The functional units of myofibrils made up of specifically arranged filaments.

Sliding Filament Mechanism

The process in which myosin heads attach to and 'walk' along the thin filaments to contract a muscle.

Action Potential

A nerve impulse that triggers muscle contraction.

Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ)

The site where motor neurons communicate with muscle fibers.

Isotonic Contraction

A type of contraction where the tension remains constant while the muscle changes length.

Isometric Contraction

A contraction where the muscle does not change length despite the tension being developed.

Creatine Phosphate

A high-energy molecule used to regenerate ATP for muscle contraction.

Anaerobic Respiration

ATP production without oxygen, resulting in lactic acid formation.

Aerobic Respiration

ATP production using oxygen, significantly more efficient for prolonged activities.

Muscle Tone

A small amount of tension in muscles due to the weak contractions of motor units.

Calcium Ions (Ca2+)

Essential for initiating muscle contraction by binding to troponin.

Motor Unit

A motor neuron and the muscle fibers it stimulates.

Muscle Fatigue

The inability to maintain a contraction after prolonged activity.

Fast Glycolytic Fibers

Large muscle fibers that generate the most powerful contractions but fatigue quickly.

Slow Oxidative Fibers

Small muscle fibers that are resistant to fatigue and are used for endurance activities.

Cardiac Muscle

Muscle tissue that contracts involuntarily, with cells connected by intercalated discs.

Smooth Muscle

Muscle tissue that performs involuntary contractions and is found in various organ systems.