Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is unique to cardiac muscle tissue?
What is unique to cardiac muscle tissue?
- Gap junctions
- Intercalated discs (correct)
- Desmosomes
- Actin filaments
What kind of junction is responsible for the direct electrical connection between cardiac muscle cells?
What kind of junction is responsible for the direct electrical connection between cardiac muscle cells?
- Intercalated discs
- Desmosomes
- Gap junctions (correct)
- Fascia adherens
What is the function of desmosomes in cardiac muscle cells?
What is the function of desmosomes in cardiac muscle cells?
- To stimulate contraction in cardiac muscle cells
- To allow ions and small molecules to move between cells
- To lock the cells together and prevent them from separating during contractions (correct)
- To anchor actin filaments to the plasma membrane
What type of contraction do cardiac muscle cells exhibit?
What type of contraction do cardiac muscle cells exhibit?
What do intercalated discs provide in cardiac muscle cells?
What do intercalated discs provide in cardiac muscle cells?
What is the function of fascia adherens in cardiac muscle cells?
What is the function of fascia adherens in cardiac muscle cells?
Flashcards
Cardiac Muscle Intercalated Discs
Cardiac Muscle Intercalated Discs
Specialized cell junctions connecting cardiac muscle cells, facilitating rapid electrical signal transmission.
Cardiac Muscle Gap Junctions
Cardiac Muscle Gap Junctions
These junctions directly connect cardiac muscle cells, allowing rapid transmission of electrical signals.
Cardiac Muscle Desmosomes
Cardiac Muscle Desmosomes
Cell junctions that mechanically connect cardiac cells to resist stress during heart contractions.
Cardiac Muscle Contraction
Cardiac Muscle Contraction
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Intercalated Discs Appearance
Intercalated Discs Appearance
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Cardiac Muscle Fascia Adherens
Cardiac Muscle Fascia Adherens
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Study Notes
Cardiac Muscle Characteristics
- Cardiac muscle has a larger number of blood vessels compared to red skeletal muscle tissue.
- Cardiac muscle cells can contract without nervous system stimulation.
Intercalated Discs
- Intercalated discs are specialized cell junctions that connect cardiac muscle cells to neighboring cells.
- They are unique to cardiac muscle tissue and have a jagged appearance due to the arrangement of cell-to-cell junctions and interlocking plasma membranes.
- Features of intercalated discs include:
- Desmosomes that bind plasma membranes together, preventing cell separation during contractions.
- Fascia adherens, a specialized junction that anchors actin filaments firmly to the plasma membrane.
- Gap junctions (communicating junctions) that allow ions and small molecules to move between cells, creating a direct electrical connection between muscle cells.
- The electrical connection between cardiac muscle cells enables the stimulus for contraction (action potential) to move from one cell to another as if the sarcolemmae were continuous.
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Description
Learn about the unique characteristics of cardiac muscle tissue, including its large number of blood vessels, ability to contract without nervous system stimulation, and the presence of intercalated discs for cell connections.
