Microsoft Word - CU5 - DRAFT-MUSCULAR.

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Key Terms

 Key terms related to the Muscular System include:

 Acetylcholine: a chemical messenger released from the end of a motor neuron

 Actin: a protein of which the thin myofilaments are composed

 Aerobic respiration: a process that breaks down fatty acids for energy when
oxygen is present

 Anaerobic respiration: a process that breaks down glucose for energy when
oxygen is not plentiful

 Antagonist: muscles that oppose the action of a prime mover

 Aponeurosis: a flat, broad tendon that attaches a muscle to another muscle or

to bone

 ATP: adenosine triphosphate, used for energy in cells to perform various

functions, including muscle contraction

 Atrophy: a decrease in the size of a muscle

 Belly: the thick midsection of the muscle

 Complete tetanus: a condition in which impulses arrive so fast the muscle

cannot relax between stimuli and twitches merge into one prolonged
contraction

 Creatine phosphate: a compound stored in muscle that is used for short bursts
of high-energy activity

 Endomysium: delicate connective tissue covering each muscle fiber

 Epimysium: connective tissue covering that surrounds muscles as a whole and

binds all muscle fibers together

 Fascia: connective tissue surrounding the muscle

 Fascicles: bundles of muscle fibers

 Hypertrophy: enlargement of a muscle

 Incomplete tetanus: a condition of rapid muscle contraction with only partial

relaxation

 Insertion: the end of a muscle that attaches to the more mobile bone

 Isometric contraction: contraction in which the tension within a muscle

increases while its length remains the same

 Isotonic contraction: contraction in which the muscle changes length to move

a load

 Motor unit: a neuron and all the muscle fibers it stimulates

  Muscle fiber: a skeletal muscle cell

 Muscle tone: continuous state of partial muscle contraction that allows for the
maintenance of posture

 Myofibrils: long protein bundles that fill the sarcoplasm of a muscle fiber

 Myofilaments: fine protein fibers that make up a myofibril

 Myosin: protein of which the thick myofilaments are composed

 Neuromuscular junction: connection between a motor neuron and a muscle

fiber

 Origin: the end of a muscle that attaches to the more stationary bone

 Perimysium: sheath of connective tissue encasing fascicles

 Prime mover: the main muscle triggering a movement

 Sarcomere: the unit of contraction of the myofibrils of a muscle

 Sarcoplasm: the cytoplasm of a muscle fiber

 Synaptic cleft: narrow space between the end of a motor nerve and the
muscle fiber

 Synergists: muscles that assist in the movement of a bone

 Tendon: strong, fibrous cord through which a muscle attaches to a bone

 Transverse (T) tubules: tubules that extend across the sarcoplasm and allow
electrical impulses to travel deep into the cell

 Treppe: phenomenon in which each successive twitch contracts more

forcefully than the previous one

Muscle Tissue Characteristics and Functions

 Twitch: single, brief contraction

 The human body's muscle fibers can be modified in terms of size and type to
enhance strength and endurance, as seen in athletes, and muscle cells are
elongated, referred to as muscle fibers.

 The primary functions of muscles include movement of the body through

skeletal muscle contractions, maintenance of posture, respiration, production
of body heat, communication, constriction of organs and vessels, and
contraction of the heart.

 Muscular tissue is composed of elongated muscle cells called muscle fibers,

and its primary job is to generate force, which produces motion, maintains
posture, and generates heat.

 There are three types of muscular tissue: Skeletal Muscles, Cardiac Muscles,
and Smooth muscles, each with distinct characteristics.
  Skeletal Muscles are multi-nucleated cells with striations, attached to the
skeleton, and can contract voluntarily or involuntarily, as seen in reflex
movements and maintenance of muscle tone.

 Smooth Muscle contains small cells with one nucleus, capable of stretching,
and is part of blood vessels, the stomach, intestines, uterus, and bladder,
contracting involuntarily without striations.

 Cardiac Muscle has cylindrical, intermediate-sized cells connected by

intercalated discs, containing specialized gap junctions that help coordinate
contractions, and contracts involuntarily with striations.

Skeletal Muscle: Structure and Function

 Skeletal muscles make up to 40% of body weight, are named due to their
attachment to bones, and have more than one nucleus and striations.

 Skeletal muscle has four major functional characteristics: contractility,

excitability, extensibility, and elasticity, which enable it to shorten with force,
respond to stimuli, stretch to its normal resting length, and return to its
original shape after stretching.

 The elasticity of a muscle refers to its ability to recoil to its original resting
length after being stretched.

 The structure of a muscle is composed of several layers of connective tissue

coverings, including the epimysium, perimysium, and endomysium, which
surround the entire muscle, muscle fasciculi, and individual muscle fibers,
respectively.

 A muscle fiber is composed of myofibrils, which are made up of myofilaments,

including actin and myosin, and are surrounded by sarcoplasm and a
sarcolemma with T-tubules.

 The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a type of smooth endoplasmic reticulum that

surrounds myosin and stores and releases calcium ions.

 Actin and myosin myofilaments are the main components of sarcomeres, the
contractile units of a muscle, with actin resembling two strands of pearls and
myosin resembling golf clubs.

 Sarcomeres are composed of several bands, including the Z disk, H zone, I

band, A band, and M line, which are formed by the arrangement of actin and
myosin myofilaments.

Muscle Contraction: Excitation and Sliding Filament Theory

 The structure of a muscle is illustrated in several figures, including Figure 5.1,

which shows the organization of skeletal muscle components, and Figure 5.2,
which shows the organization of skeletal muscle components and the
structure of sarcomeres.

 Excitability is the ability of a muscle to respond to stimuli, and it involves the

opening and closing of sodium and potassium channels to produce an action
potential.
  Stimulation of a muscle involves the transmission of action potentials from
motor neurons to muscle fibers through the neuromuscular junction, which is
composed of the presynaptic terminal, postsynaptic membrane, synaptic cleft,
and synaptic vesicles.

 The neuromuscular junction is the site where motor neurons and muscle fibers
meet, and it is where neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, are released to
stimulate or inhibit muscle contraction.

 A motor unit is a group of muscle fibers that are stimulated by a single motor
neuron.

 The neuromuscular junction is the site where a motor neuron meets a skeletal
muscle fiber, and it plays a crucial role in muscle contraction.

 Contraction of skeletal muscle tissue occurs when actin and myosin

myofilaments slide past each other, causing the sarcomeres to shorten, and
this process is known as the sliding filament model of muscle contraction.

 The sliding filament theory involves a series of steps, including the release of
acetylcholine, the binding of acetylcholine to receptor sites, and the release of
calcium ions, which ultimately lead to muscle contraction.

 The steps in a muscle contraction, according to the sliding filament theory,

are:

 ATP plays a crucial role in muscle contraction, as it supplies the energy

needed for muscle contractions, and it is stored in myosin heads.

 The energy from ATP is released as ATP is converted to ADP and inorganic
phosphate, and this energy is used to form cross-bridge formations between
myosin and actin.

 There are different types of muscle fibers, including slow-twitch fibers and
fast-twitch fibers, which have different characteristics and functions.

 Slow-twitch fibers contract slowly, fatigue slowly, and are used for long-
distance activities, such as distance running, and they use aerobic respiration
to generate energy from fat.

 Fast-twitch fibers contract quickly, fatigue quickly, and are used for short-
duration activities, such as sprinting, and they use anaerobic respiration to
generate energy from glycogen.

Muscle Naming and Classification

 Muscles are named according to their location, origin and insertion, size,
shape, and function, and they have different parts, including the origin,
insertion, belly, synergists, and antagonists.

Muscles of the Human Body

 The section discusses the muscles of the human body, specifically focusing on
the muscles of the head and neck, trunk, upper limb, and lower limb.

 The muscles of facial expression and mastication include the occipitofrontalis,

orbicularis oculi, orbicularis oris, zygomaticus, and masseter, which are
 responsible for raising eyebrows, blinking, kissing, smiling, and chewing,
respectively.

 The tongue and swallowing muscles include intrinsic and extrinsic tongue
muscles, hyoid muscles, and pharyngeal muscles, which work together to
change the shape of the tongue, move the tongue, elevate or stabilize the
hyoid bone, and constrict the pharynx.

 The trunk muscles include thoracic muscles such as the external intercostals,
internal intercostals, and diaphragm, which are responsible for elevating ribs,
depressing ribs, and moving during quiet breathing.

 The abdominal wall muscles include the rectus abdominis, external abdominal
oblique, internal abdominal oblique, and transverse abdominis, which
compress the abdomen.

 The upper limb muscles include the trapezius, pectoralis major, serratus
anterior, deltoid, triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and brachialis, which are
responsible for extending the neck and head, elevating ribs, abducting upper
limbs, extending the elbow, flexing the elbow and shoulder, and flexing the
elbow.

 The lower limb muscles include the iliopsoas, gluteus maximus, gluteus
medius, quadriceps femoris, gracilis, and hamstring muscles, which are
responsible for flexing the hip, extending the hip and abducting the thigh,
abducting and rotating the thigh, extending the knee, and flexing the knee
and rotating the leg.

 The muscles of the lower leg include the tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and
soleus, which are responsible for inverting the foot, flexing the foot and leg,
and flexing the foot.