Muscle Tissue Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts related to muscle tissue, its functions, types, structures, and differences between related connective tissues.

What are the primary specialized cells in muscle tissue called?

Muscle fibers (or myocytes)

What are 4 functions of muscle tissue?

Movement

Control movement of material through the body

Thermoregulation

Maintain posture and support 

How do muscle tissues help with movement?

Muscles attach to tissue, muscle fibers shorten to cause movement of surrounding tissue.

How do muscles help with controlling the movement of material through the body?

• Circular sphincter muscles open and close to control waste elimination

• Smooth muscle in blood vessels and digestive tract to control and propel material

• Cardiac muscle in the heart pumps blood

How does muscle tissue help with thermoregulation?

The contraction and relaxation of muscle tissues produce heat?

How do muscle tissues help us maintain posture?

Muscles stay constantly contracted to maintain upright posture

What kind of joints need to be surrounded by synovial joints to maintain stability?

Synovial joints require ligaments and tendons for stability because they are very mobile.

What are the three types of muscle tissue?

Skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle.

What type of muscle is primarily responsible for voluntary body movements?

Skeletal muscle.

List the features of skeletal muscles

Multinucleated, have lines (striated), and are very long cylindrical cells

Which muscle type is found in the gastrointestinal tract and is under involuntary control?

Smooth muscle.

This type of muscle controls the movement of material in the body

Smooth muscle

List the features of smooth muscle?

Short, plate (spindle) shaped, no striations, single nucleus per cell

What distinguishes cardiac muscle from skeletal and smooth muscle?

Cardiac muscle has intercalated discs for rapid transport of electrical impulses (Y-shaped)

List the features of cardiac muscles?

Short, bifurcated (branched/Y-shaped), have striations, can have single or double nucleus, has intercalated discs

What are intercalated discs

Found in cardiac muscle — are for rapid transport of electrical impulses between muscle cells.

Describe the hierarchical organization of skeletal muscle.

Muscle fibers (or cells) -> Fascicles -> Whole muscle

What is the connective tissue surrounding an entire muscle called?

Epimysium

What is the connective tissue surrounding each fascicle called?

Perimysium—provides support and houses blood vessels and nerves.

What is the connective tissue surrounding each muscle fiber is called?

Endomysium—provides support and contains capillaries and nerves.

What is the difference between muscle origins and insertions?

Origins are less mobile and proximal, while insertions are more mobile and distal.

What is an aponeurosis in relation to tendons?

A flat sheet-like structure formed by a tendon.

How do ligaments and tendons histologically compare?

Both consist of dense regular connective tissue but they connect different structures.

What do compartments in muscle anatomy typically have in common?

Muscles in the same compartment typically have similar functions, blood supply, and innervation.