The Muscular

The Muscular System

System
Chapter 66
Chapter

Muscle
Contraction
 Physiology of skeletal muscle contraction
• Skeletal muscles require stimulation from the nervous
system in order to contract
• Motor neurons are the cells that cause muscle fibers to
contract

cell body

dendrites
Synaptic terminals
axon (synaptic end bulbs)
telodendria

(motor neuron)
 Neuromuscular junction

telodendria

Synaptic
terminal Synaptic
(end bulb) vessicles
containing
Ach

Synaptic cleft
Neuromuscular
junction
Motor end plate
of sarcolemma
Overview of Events at the neuromuscular junction
• An action potential (AP), an electrical impulse, travels down
the axon of the motor neuron to the end bulbs (synaptic
terminals)
• The AP causes the synaptic vesicles to fuse with the end bulb
membrane, resulting in the release of a neurotransmitter called
Acetylcholine (Ach) into the synaptic cleft
• Ach diffuses across the synaptic cleft & binds to Ach receptors
on the motor end plate
• The binding of Ach to its receptors causes a new AP to be
generated along the muscle cell membrane
• Immediately after it binds to its receptors, Ach will be broken
down by Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) – an enzyme present in
the synaptic cleft
 Action potential
Arrival of an action potential
at the synaptic terminal Axon
Arriving action potential Synaptic terminal
Sarcolemma

Vesicles

ACh
Synaptic AChE molecules
cleft ACh
receptor
Sarcolemma of site Muscle
motor end plate fiber

• An action potential (AP), an electrical impulse, travels down the

axon of the motor neuron to the end bulbs (synaptic terminals)

Figure 7-4(b-c)
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 Action potential
Arrival of an action potential
at the synaptic terminal Axon
Arriving action potential Synaptic terminal
Sarcolemma

Vesicles

ACh
Synaptic AChE molecules
cleft ACh
receptor
Sarcolemma of site Muscle
motor end plate fiber

Release of acetylcholine

Vesicles in the synaptic terminal fuse

with the neuronal membrane and dump

•The AP causes the synaptic vesicles to

their contents into the synaptic cleft.

fuse with the end bulb membrane, resulting

in the release of Acetylcholine (Ach) into
the synaptic cleft

Figure 7-4(b-c)
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 Action potential
Arrival of an action potential
at the synaptic terminal Axon
Arriving action potential Synaptic terminal
Sarcolemma

Vesicles

ACh
Synaptic AChE molecules
cleft ACh
receptor
Sarcolemma of site Muscle
motor end plate fiber

ACh binding at the

Release of acetylcholine motor and plate •Ach diffuses across
Vesicles in the synaptic terminal fuse The binding of ACh to the receptors
with the neuronal membrane and dump
their contents into the synaptic cleft.
increases the membrane permeability to
sodium ions. Sodium ions then rush
the synaptic cleft &
binds to Ach
into the cell.

receptors on the
motor end plate
Na+

Na+
Na+

Figure 7-4(b-c)
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings 4 of 5
•The binding of Ach to its receptors
causes a new AP to be generated along
the muscle cell membrane

•Immediately after it binds to its receptors,

Ach will be broken down by
Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) – an enzyme
present in the synaptic cleft
Physiology of Skeletal Muscle Contraction
•Once an action potential (AP) is generated
at the motor end plate it will spread like an
electrical current along the sarcolemma of the
muscle fiber

• The AP will also spread into the T-tubules,

exciting the terminal cisternae of the
sarcoplasmic reticula

•This will cause Calcium (Ca+2 ) gates in the

SR to open, allowing Ca+2 to diffuse into the
sarcoplasm

•Calcium will bind to troponin (on the thin

myofilament), causing it to change its
shape. This then pulls tropomyosin away
from the active sites of actin molecules.

•The exposure of the active sites allow the

sliding of the filaments
 Physiology of skeletal muscle contraction – events
at the myofilaments
Resting sarcomere Active-site exposure Cross-bridge formation

ADP ADP
+ Myosin head Sarcoplasm
P + P
ADP
Troponin +
P
Ca2+ Ca2+

Ca2+ ADP Ca2+

Tropomyosin Actin Active site P +
ADP ADP

P + P +

Myosin reactivation Cross bridge detachment Pivoting of myosin head

ADP ATP ADP + P

+ P

Ca2+ Ca2+
Ca2+

Ca2+ Ca2+ Ca2+

ADP
ATP ADP + P
P +

Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Resting sarcomere Active-site exposure

ADP ADP
+ Myosin head Sarcoplasm
P + P
Troponin
Ca2+

Ca2+
Tropomyosin Actin Active site
ADP ADP

P + P +

• Calcium (Ca+2 ) gates in the SR open, allowing Ca+2 to

diffuse into the sarcoplasm
• Calcium will bind to troponin (on the thin myofilament),
causing it to change its shape.
• This then pulls tropomyosin away from the active sites of
actin molecules.

Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Resting sarcomere Active-site exposure Cross-bridge formation

ADP ADP
+ Myosin head Sarcoplasm
P + P
ADP
Troponin +
P
Ca2+ Ca2+

Ca2+ ADP Ca2+

Tropomyosin Actin Active site P +
ADP ADP

P + P +

• Myosin heads are “energized” by the presence of ADP + PO43-

at the ATP binding site (energy is released as phosphate bond
of ATP breaks)
• Once the active sites are exposed, the energized myosin
heads hook into actin molecules forming cross-bridges

Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Resting sarcomere Active-site exposure Cross-bridge formation

ADP ADP
+ Myosin head Sarcoplasm
P + P
ADP
Troponin +
P
Ca2+ Ca2+

Ca2+ ADP Ca2+

Tropomyosin Actin Active site P +
ADP ADP

P + P +

Pivoting of myosin head

• Using the stored energy, the attached
myosin heads pivot toward the center of ADP + P

the sarcomere Ca2+

Ca2+

• The ADP & phosphate group are ADP + P

released from the myosin head

Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Resting sarcomere Active-site exposure Cross-bridge formation

ADP ADP
+ Myosin head Sarcoplasm
P + P
ADP
Troponin +
P
Ca2+ Ca2+

Ca2+ ADP Ca2+

Tropomyosin Actin Active site P +
ADP ADP

P + P +

• A new molecule of Cross bridge detachment Pivoting of myosin head

ATP binds to the
myosin head, causing ATP
the cross bridge to ADP + P

detach from the actin Ca2+

Ca2+
strand
Ca2+ Ca2+

• The myosin head will ATP ADP + P

get re-energized as the

ATP  ADP+P

• As long as the active sites are still exposed, the myosin head can bind
again to the next active site
 Resting sarcomere Active-site exposure Cross-bridge formation

ADP ADP
+ Myosin head Sarcoplasm
P + P
ADP
Troponin +
P
Ca2+ Ca2+

Ca2+ ADP Ca2+

Tropomyosin Actin Active site P +
ADP ADP

P + P +

Myosin reactivation Cross bridge detachment Pivoting of myosin head

ADP ATP ADP + P

+ P

Ca2+ Ca2+
Ca2+

Ca2+ Ca2+ Ca2+

ADP
ATP ADP + P
P +

Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Physiology of Skeletal Muscle Contraction
• If there are no longer APs generated on
the motor neuron, no more Ach will be
released
• AchE will remove Ach from the motor end
plate, and AP transmission on the muscle
fiber will end
• Ca+2 gates in the SR will close & Ca+2 will
be actively transported back into the SR
• With Ca+2 removed from the sarcoplasm
(& from troponin), tropomyosin will re-cover
the active sites of actin
• No more cross-bridge interactions can
form
• Thin myofilaments slide back to their
resting state
 Key Note
Skeletal muscle fibers shorten as thin
filaments interact with thick filaments and
sliding occurs. The trigger for contraction is
the calcium ions released by the SR when
the muscle fiber is stimulated by its motor
neuron. Contraction is an active process;
relaxation and the return to resting length is
entirely passive.
These physiological processes describe what
happen at the cellular level – how skeletal
muscle fibers contract
But what about at the organ level? How do
skeletal muscles (like your biceps brachii)
contract to create useful movement?
• Skeletal muscles are made up of thousands of muscle
fibers
• A single motor neuron may directly control a few fibers
within a muscle, or hundreds to thousands of muscle fibers
• All of the muscle fibers controlled by a single motor neuron
constitute a motor unit
 The size of the motor unit determines how fine the control of
movement can be –
small motor units  precise control (e.g. eye muscles
large motor units gross control (e.g. leg muscles)
 Recruitment is the
ability to activate
more motor units as
more force (tension)
needs to be
generated
 There are always some motor
units active, even when at rest.
This creates a resting tension
known as muscle tone, which
helps stabilize bones & joints, &
prevents atrophy
When skeletal muscles contract, they may
produce two types of contractions:
 Isotonic contraction
 Isometric contraction
Isotonic contraction – as tension increases (more
motor units recruited), length of muscle changes
usually resulting in movement of a joint. The
tension (load) on a muscle stays constant (iso =
same, tonic = tension) during a movement.
(Example: lifting a baby, picking up object, walking,
etc. )
Isometric contraction – no change in length of
muscle even as tension increases. The length of a
muscle stays constant (iso = same, metric = length)
during a “contraction” (Example: holding a baby at
arms length, pushing against a closed door.)
Necessary in everyday life to counteract effects of
gravity (e.g. postural muscles keeping head up)
Anatomy of the Muscular System

•Origin - Muscle attachment that remains

fixed

•Insertion - Muscle attachment that moves

•Action - What joint movement a muscle

produces i.e. flexion, extension,
abduction, etc.
• For muscles to create a movement,
they can only pull, not push
• Muscles in the body rarely work alone,
& are usually arranged in groups
surrounding a joint
• A muscle that contracts to create the
desired action is known as an agonist or
prime mover
• A muscle that helps the agonist is a
synergist
• A muscle that opposes the action of the
agonist, therefore undoing the desired
action is an antagonist
 Skeletal muscle movements

Flexion/extension
Abduction/adduction
Rotation – left/right; internal(medial)/external(lateral)
pronation/supination
Elevation/depression
Protraction/retraction
Dorsiflexion/plantarflexion
Inversion/eversion
An Overview
of the Major
Skeletal
Muscles

Figure 7-11(a)
An Overview
of the Major
Skeletal
Muscles

Figure 7-11(b)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of the Head and Neck

Figure 7-12(a)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of the
Head and
Neck
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of the Head and Neck

Figure 7-12(c)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of the Anterior Neck

Figure 7-13
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of
the Spine

Figure 7-14
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Oblique and Rectus
Muscles and the
Diaphragm

Figure 7-15(a)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Oblique and Rectus Muscles and
the Diaphragm

Figure 7-15(b)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Oblique and Rectus Muscles and
the Diaphragm

Figure 7-15(c)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of the Shoulder

Figure 7-17(a)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles of the Shoulder

Figure 7-17(b)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles that Move the Arm

Figure 7-18(a)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles that Move the Arm

Figure 7-18(b)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move the Forearm and Wrist

Figure 7-19
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move the Thigh

Figure 7-20(a)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move
the Thigh

Figure 7-20(b)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move the Leg

Figure 7-21
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move the Foot and Toes

Figure 7-22(a)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move
the Foot and Toes

Figure 7-22(b)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That Move
the Foot and Toes

Figure 7-22(c)
Anatomy of the Muscular System
Muscles That
Move the Foot
and Toes

Figure 7-22(d)