Muscle Tissue and Axial Muscles

These flashcards cover key vocabulary regarding muscle tissue, types, structures, and functions, helping to solidify understanding of muscular anatomy and physiology for exam preparation.

Skeletal Muscle

Muscle tissue attached to the skeletal system/bones, under voluntary control.

Cardiac Muscle

Heart muscle tissue that operates under involuntary control, containing sarcomeres and striations.

Smooth Muscle

Muscle tissue surrounding organs and blood vessels, operating under involuntary control.

Myoblasts

Embryonic cells that fuse to form multinucleated skeletal muscle fibers.

Sarcoplasm

The cytoplasm of a muscle fiber.

Sarcolemma

The plasma membrane of a skeletal muscle fiber.

Myofilaments

Protein filaments organized into sarcomeres, constituting muscle fibers.

Fascicle

A bundle of skeletal muscle fibers surrounded by perimysium.

Perimysium

Connective tissue that surrounds a fascicle.

Epimysium

Connective tissue that surrounds an entire skeletal muscle.

Agonist

A muscle that causes movement by contracting.

Antagonist

A muscle that opposes the action of another muscle.

Fixator

A muscle that stabilizes a joint to allow for movement in another muscle.

Circulatory Muscle

Circular muscles control the passage of materials through orifices.

Types of Muscle Fasicles

Muscle arrangements include circular, parallel, convergent, unipennate, bipennate, and multipennate.

Striations

Banding patterns formed by the orderly arrangement of myofilaments in muscle fibers.

Erector Spinae

A group of muscles responsible for extending the spine.

Intercalated Discs

Specialized connections between cardiac muscle cells that aid in contraction.

Sarcomere

The repeating functional unit of striated muscle fibers.

Transverse tubules (T tubules)

Extensions of the sarcolemma that surround myofibrils.

Z Line

The line that defines the boundary of a single sarcomere.

Calcium Storage

Sarcoplasmic reticulum's terminal cisternae are responsible for calcium storage.