MUSCULAR SYSTEM

FUNCTIONS • in the muscle under the

1. Movement microscope.
2. Maintain • Also known as voluntary muscle
posture because it is the only muscle
3. Respiration tissue subject to conscious
4. Production of control
body heat
5.Communication Major Functional Characteristics of
6. Constriction of Skeletal Muscle
organs and vessels 1. Contractility – ability to
7. Heart beat shorten with force. When
skeletal muscles contract, they
STRUCTURE OF A MUSCLE cause the structures to which
they are attached to move.
Skeletal muscles shorten
forcefully during contraction,
but they lengthen passively.
Either gravity or the
contraction of an opposing
muscle produces a force that
pulls on the shortened muscle,
causing it to lengthen.
2. Excitability – capacity to
respond to a stimulus
3. Extensibility – ability to be
stretched to their normal
resting length
4. Elasticity – ability to recoil to
their original resting length.
Structure of Skeletal Muscle
Connective Tissue Coverings of Muscle
Epimysium/Muscular fascia –
connective tissue sheath that
MUSCLE TYPES surrounds a skeletal muscle
Muscle fasciculi – numerous visible
Skeletal Muscle bundles that make up the muscle
Perimysium – loose connective tissue
• Skeletal muscle, with its that surrounds the muscle fasciculi
associated connective tissue, Muscle fibers – several muscle cells
constitutes approximately 40% that composes a fasciculus
of body weight. Endomysium – loose connective tissue
• Skeletal muscle is so named that surrounds a muscle fiber
because most of the muscles are
attached to the skeletal
system.
• fVGIt is also called striated
muscle because transverse
bands, or striations, can be seen
Muscle Fiber Structure the other. Each packet of these
Sarcolemma – cell membrane of the microfilaments and their
muscle fiber regulatory proteins, troponin
Transverse tubules (T tubules) – tube- and tropomyosin (along with
like invaginations w/c occur at regular other proteins) is called a
intervals along the muscle fiber sarcomere.
Sarcoplasmic reticulum – highly Z disk – network of protein fibers
organized smooth E.R.; has a relatively forming an
high concentration of Ca2+ (muscle attachment site for actin
contraction) stores and releases myofilaments
calcium I band – consists of actin
Sarcoplasm – cytoplasm of a muscle myofilaments; spans each Z disk
fiber A band – darker, central region that
Myofibrils – threadlike structures extends the length of the myosin of
composed of: myofilaments
→ Actin Myofilaments (thin H zone – second light zone that
filaments; purple) consists of myosin myofilaments
→ Myosin Myofilaments (thick M line – dark-staining bands
filaments; green)
Myofilament – proteins that make up
myofibrils.

The arrangement of the actin and

myosin filaments in sacromeres gives
Sarcomere – highly ordered, repeating
units of actin + myosin myofilaments;
joined end to end to form the
myofibril.
Actin and Myosin Myofilaments
Troponin molecules – binding sites for
Ca2 +; attached at specific intervals
along the actin myofilaments
Tropomyosin filaments – cover the
attachment sites on the actin
myofilaments; located along the grove
bet. the twisted strands of actin
myofilaments
Myosin heads – resemble golf club
heads;
→ Bind to attachment sites
→ Bend and straighten
→ Break down ATP
Sarcomere
• Basic structural and functional
unit of skeletal muscle.
• The striated appearance of
skeletal muscle fibers is due to
the arrangement of the
myofilaments of actin and
myosin in sequential order from
one end of the muscle fiber to

ION CHANNELS AND THE ACTION
POTENTIAL
• Step 1 illustrates the status of
Na+ and K+ channels in a resting
cell.
• Steps 2 and 3 show how the
channels open and close to
produce an action potential.
• Next to each step, the
chargedifference across the
plasma membrane is illustrated
NERVE SUPPLY & MUSCLE FIBER
STIMULATION
Neuromuscular Junction
• Another specialization of the
skeletal muscle is the site where
a motor neuron’s terminal
meets the muscle fiber—called
the neuromuscular junction
(NMJ). This is where the muscle
fiber first responds to signaling
by the motor neuron. Every
skeletal muscle fiber in every
skeletal muscle is innervated by
a motor neuron at the NMJ.
Excitation signals from the
neuron are the only way to
functionally activate the fiber
to contract.
→ In a neuromuscular
junction, several
branches of an axon
junction with a single
muscle fiber.
→ Photomicrograph of
neuromuscular
junctions.
FUNCTION OF NEUROMUSCULAR
JUNCTION
SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION
• The active site on actin is
exposed as calcium binds to
troponin.
• The myosin head is attracted to
actin, and myosin binds actin at
its actin-binding site, forming
the cross-bridge.
• During the power stroke, the
phosphate generated in the
previous contraction cycle is MUSCLE METABOLISM
released. This results in the Some ATP is stored in a resting muscle.
myosin head pivoting toward As contraction starts, it is used up in
the center of the sarcomere, seconds. More ATP is generated from
after which the attached ADP creatine phosphate for about 15
and phosphate group are seconds.
released.
• A new molecule of ATP attaches
• to the myosin head, causing the
cross-bridge to detach.
• The myosin head hydrolyzes ATP
to ADP and phosphate, which
returns the myosin to the
cocked position.

Aerobic respiration is the breakdown of

glucose in the presence of oxygen (O2)
to produce carbon dioxide, water, and
ATP. Approximately 95 percent of the
ATP required for resting or moderately
active muscles is provided by aerobic
respiration, which takes place in
mitochondria.
 from either aerobic (with O2) or
anaerobic (without O2) ATP
production
• Generally, ATP is derived from
four processes in skeletal
muscle:
1. Aerobic production of
ATP during most
exercise and normal
conditions
2. Anaerobic production
of ATP during
intensive short-term
work
3. Conversion of a
molecule called
creatine (kr̄ ′ a-t̄ n)
phosphate to ATP
4. Conversion of two ADP
to one ATP and one
AMP (adenosine
monophosphate)
during heavy exercise
PHASE OF A MUSCLE TWITCH SKELETAL MUSCLE
Prime Movers
Muscles that are primary concern with
the movement (Agonist Muscles)
ANTAGONISTS
working in reverse of that particular
movement, preventing the prime
mover to over extend
SYNERGISTS
Helps the prime movers lending a little
extra oomph stabilizing joints against
dislocation
FIXATORS
if a synergist immobilize the muscles’
origin bone so that the prime mover
MULTIPLE WAVE SUMMATION can be more effective.
MOTOR UNITS
a group of muscle fibers that all get
their Signals from the same, single
motor neuron LARGE MOTOR UNIT
motor neurons may synapse with and
innervate a thousand muscle fibers
SMALL MOTOR UNIT
A hand full of motor neuron connect
to a single fine neuron that produce a
specialized movement/ function
TYPES OF MUSCLE FIBERS
SLOW OXIDATIVE
ENERGY REQUIREMENT FOR MUSCLE Slow oxidative (SO) fibers contract
CONTRACTION relatively slowly and use aerobic
• Muscle fibers are very energy- respiration (oxygen and glucose) to
demanding cells whether at produce ATP.
rest or during any form of
exercise. This energy comes
FAST OXIDATIVE time. Muscle tone is responsible
• Fast oxidative (FO) fibers have for keeping the back and legs
fast contractions and primarily straight, the head in an upright
use aerobic respiration, but position, and the abdomen
because they may switch to from bulging. Muscle tone
anaerobic respiration depends on a small percentage
(glycolysis),can fatigue more of all the motor units in a
quickly than SO fibers. muscle being stimulated at any
FAST GLYCOLYTIC point in time, causing their
• Fast glycolytic (FG) fibers have muscle fibers to contract
fast contractions and primarily tetanically and out of phase
use anaerobic glycolysis. The FG with one another.
fibers fatigue more quickly than
the others. SMOOTH MUSCLE
TYPES OF MUCLE CONTRACTIONS Smooth muscle fibers are spindle-
ISOMETRIC shaped (wide in the middle and tapered
• isometric (equal distance) at both ends, somewhat like a football)
contractions, the length of the and have a single nucleus; Although
they do not have striations and
muscle does not change, but the
sarcomeres, smooth muscle fibers do
amount of tension increases
during the contraction process. have actin and myosin contractile
Isometric contractions are proteins, and thick and thin filaments.
These thin filaments are anchored by
responsible for the constant
length of the body’s postural dense bodies. A dense body is analogous
muscles, such as the muscles of to the Z-discs of skeletal and cardiac
the back. muscle fibers and is fastened to the
sarcolemma. Calcium ions are supplied
ISOTONIC
by the SR in the fibers and by
• isotonic (equal tension) sequestration from the extracellular
contractions, the amount of fluid through membrane indentations
tension produced by the muscle called calveoli.
is constant during contraction,
but the length of the muscle
decreases.
CONCENTRIC CONTRACTION
• Concentric (kon-sen′ trik)
contractions are isotonic
contractions in which muscle
tension increases as the muscle
shortens. Many common
movements are produced by
concentric muscle
contractions.
ECCENTRIC CONTRACTION
• Eccentric (ek-sen′ trik)
contractions are isotonic
contractions in which tension is
maintained in a muscle, but the
opposing resistance causes the
muscle to lengthen. Eccentric
contractions are used when a
person slowly lowers a heavy
weight.
MUSCLE TONE CARDIAC MUSCLE
• Muscle tone is the constant Cardiac muscle tissue is only found in
tension produced by body the heart. Highly coordinated
muscles over long periods of contractions of cardiac muscle pump
blood into the vessels of the
circulatory system. Similar to skeletal
muscle, cardiac muscle is striated and
organized into sarcomeres, possessing
the same banding organization as
skeletal muscle.
Contractions of the heart
(heartbeats) are controlled by
specialized cardiac muscle cells called
pacemaker cells that directly control
heart rate. Although cardiac muscle
cannot be consciously controlled, the
pacemaker cells respond to signals
from the autonomic nervous system
(ANS) to speed up or slow down the
heart rate. The pacemaker cells can
also respond to various hormones that
modulate heart rate to control blood
pressure.

Interactions of Skeletal Muscles, Their

Fascicle Arrangement, and Their Lever
Systems
FASCICLE ARRANGEMENT
MUSCLES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
 FACIAL EXPRESSION

MASTICATION

TONGUE AND SWALLOWING MUSCLE

DEEP NECK AND BACK MUSCLE
MUSCLE OF THE THORAX
MUSCLE OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL
MUSCLE OF THE PELVIC FLOOR AND PERINEU
ARM MUSCLES
MUSCLES OF THE FOREARM
MUSCLES OF THE HIP AND THIGH
MUSCLES OF THE LOWER LIMB
MUSCLES OF THE LEG
MUSCLES OF THE LEG