Muscle Tissue Types Overview

Muscle tissue found in the walls of hollow organs like the intestines and blood vessels.

Muscle tissue responsible for voluntary movements and attached to bones.

A characteristic of muscle tissue that appears striped under a microscope due to the arrangement of protein filaments.

Means that the muscle contracts without conscious control.

Muscle tissue found in the heart, characterized by its involuntary, striated nature and branched cells.

The process of increasing muscle size due to the enlargement of existing muscle fibers.

The process of increasing muscle size due to the formation of new muscle cells.

Muscle growth primarily occurs through hypertrophy, not hyperplasia.

Hyperplasia is rare in adults but can occur in certain circumstances, such as during development or under specific pathological conditions.

Muscle growth primarily occurs through hypertrophy, which is the enlargement of existing muscle fibers.

The plasma membrane of a muscle cell.

The cytoplasm within muscle fibers.

A specialized form of smooth endoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells. It helps regulate calcium levels, which control muscle contraction.

The process of increasing the size of muscle cells, often due to exercise.

Specialized junctions that connect cardiac muscle cells. They enable rapid, coordinated contractions of the heart.

Muscle growth due to an increase in cell size, not cell number.

Cardiac muscle tissue is found only in the heart. It's involuntary, striated, and has interconnected cells.

Cardiac muscle tissue is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body.

The middle, muscular layer of the heart, responsible for its pumping action.

The inner lining of the heart chambers and heart valves.

The outermost layer of the heart, which protects it.

Branching, striated muscle tissue found only in the heart, contract involuntarily.

The contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by a complex interplay of electrical and chemical signals.

The heart's contracting muscle tissue controls blood flow throughout the body.

The heart's muscle tissue helps maintain blood pressure by regulating blood volume.

The heart's muscle tissue helps transport oxygen and nutrients to the body's tissues.

Specialized junctions between cardiac muscle cells that allow for the rapid spread of electrical signals, coordinating synchronized contraction.

The property of cardiac muscle where individual cells act as a single functional unit due to electrical connections through gap junctions.

The coordinated contraction of cardiac muscle cells, enabling effective pumping of blood.

The fundamental repeating unit of striated muscle, responsible for muscle contraction.

The protein responsible for generating force during muscle contraction. Myosin molecules have globular heads that interact with actin filaments.

The release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum within muscle cells, triggering muscle contraction.

The process by which myosin heads bind to actin filaments, generating force and causing muscle contraction.

The protein that regulates muscle contraction by controlling the interaction between myosin and actin.

A single motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates. This forms the functional unit of muscle contraction.

The process of converting a chemical signal (neurotransmitter) into an electrical signal that triggers muscle contraction.

Release of acetylcholine (ACh) at the neuromuscular junction, which depolarizes the sarcolemma and triggers calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

A type of muscle fiber known for its slow, sustained contractions. These fibers are rich in mitochondria, myoglobin, and have an abundant blood supply.

These fibers are specialized for rapid, powerful contractions. They have high glycogen content, fewer mitochondria, and are better suited for short bursts of power.

These are small invaginations or pockets in the sarcolemma of smooth muscle cells. They act as a storage site for calcium ions and help with signal transduction.