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Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of smooth muscles?
What is the primary function of smooth muscles?
- Movement of joints (correct)
- Supporting the skeleton
- Generating heat for the body
- Enabling fine motor skills
Which type of smooth muscle has individual fibers that can contract independently?
Which type of smooth muscle has individual fibers that can contract independently?
- Visceral smooth muscle
- Syncytial smooth muscle
- Unitary smooth muscle
- Multiunit smooth muscle (correct)
Where are examples of multiunit smooth muscles found?
Where are examples of multiunit smooth muscles found?
- Stomach muscles
- Intestinal muscles
- Biceps muscles
- Ciliary muscles of the eye (correct)
What do smooth muscles contain that are similar to those in skeletal muscles?
What do smooth muscles contain that are similar to those in skeletal muscles?
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How do unitary smooth muscles contract?
How do unitary smooth muscles contract?
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Study Notes
Smooth Muscles
- The primary function of smooth muscles is to create movements in hollow organs, such as the digestive tract, blood vessels, and airways.
- Unitary smooth muscles have fibers that are electrically coupled, allowing them to contract as a single unit.
- Multiunit smooth muscles, on the other hand, have individual fibers that can contract independently, allowing for more precise control; examples of these can be found in the iris of the eye, the skin, and blood vessels.
- Smooth muscles contain tropomyosin and troponin, similar to those found in skeletal muscles, which play a key role in muscle contraction.
- Unitary smooth muscles contract through the slow and sustained contraction of multiple fibers, allowing for long-term contractions.
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