Muscular System Physiology Notes

Myo, mys, sarco – prefixes for muscles

Functions of the Skeletal Muscles

1. Produce movement of the skeleton by pulling on tendons that then move bones
2. Maintain posture and body position
3. Support soft tissues with muscles of the abdominal wall and pelvic floor
4. Guard entrances and exits with sphincters
5. Maintain body temperature - when contraction occurs energy is used and converted to heat.

Special Characteristics of Muscle Tissue (match the term to its description)

Elasticity Contractility Excitability Extensibility

 __________________________(responsiveness): ability to receive and respond to stimuli

 __________________________: ability to shorten forcibly when stimulated
 __________________________: ability to be stretched
 __________________________: ability to recoil to resting length

Organization of Skeletal Muscle Tissue

Made of:




 Single skeletal muscle cells are also called muscle

__________________.

Levels of Organization

Connective Tissues
 Connective tissues give muscle organ more strength
1. Epimysium 2. Perimysium 3. Endomysium

Attachments
Tendons Aponeurosis

Muscle Cell/Fiber Anatomy

Sarcolemma Sarcoplasm T tubules Mitochondria Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
Terminal cisternae myofibrils myofilaments

______________________ Specific name for muscle fiber cell membrane

______________________ Network of tubules that allow for electrical
stimuli to reach deep into each muscle fiber
______________________ Specific name for muscle fiber cytoplasm
______________________ Organelle that makes ATP for muscle cell
activity
______________________ Specialized network of tubes that allow for
transport of ions within muscle cells (fibers)
______________________ Part of the SR that stores calcium ions
needed for muscle cell contraction.
______________________ Bundles of contractile proteins that interact
during muscle contraction causing the muscle
to shorten.
______________________ Individual contractile proteins within a
myofibril (actin, myosin)

Sarcomere (Links in a chain)

 Units of ________________________________ within a skeletal
muscle fiber
 Connect to each other at a point called the ______________________
 Each myofibril has about _____________________ sarcomeres linked together from end to end.
 ________________________ appearance occurs where proteins ____________________________.

Thin filament Thick filament

 Made of proteins called
 Has binding site for _________________ but it
is covered by _____________________ and
________________________ at rest.
Draw and label
 Made of protein called _________________
 Resembles the shape of a _____________________
 Attaches to binding sites on ______________ during
muscle cell contraction.
Draw and label

Sarcomere - relaxed Sarcomere - contracted

Steps of Contraction Cycle – Sliding Filament Theory

 1. When nerve impulse reaches muscle fiber, ___________________ is released from _______________________.
2. Calcium binds to _____________________ on thin filament.
3. Calcium changes shape of troponin which causes _________________ to move away from myosin binding sites.
4. _________________ heads can now attach to binding site on _______________, creating cross-bridges.
5. Energy released from breaking down ATP to ADP allows myosin head to _______________actin inward towards
the ____________________ (center of the sarcomere) causing the sarcomere to ________________________.
6. A new ________________ molecule releases myosin from actin and ___________ myosin head for another pull.

 What is rigor mortis?

Neuromuscular Junction
 What is a neuromuscular junction?

o __________________________________(Ach)
is the neurotransmitter that will cross the
synaptic cleft to signal for the skeletal muscle
fiber to contract.
 Ach bids to the receptor on the ___________________
on the sarcolemma (muscle cell membrane)
 Acetylcholine initiates electrical impulses in the
sarcolemma which travel into the cell through the
____________________ and causes _______________
to be released from the __________________ into the
myofibril leading to a muscle contraction.

Muscle Twitch
 A single stimulus-contraction-relaxation cycle in a muscle fiber.
 Detected/tracked by an electromyogram

3 Phases of a Muscle Twitch

1. __________________________ phase
 Starts at the point of stimulus and includes the action
potential, release of calcium and the activation of troponin
and tropomyosin.

2. __________________________ phase
 Myosin pulling actin inward toward the M line.
3. __________________________ phase
 Calcium returns back into the SR causing tropomyosin to cover
up myosin binding site on actin.
Adding up Twitch Contraction
 Summation – occurs with
repeated, frequent stimuli that
triggers a response before full
relaxation has occurred.
 Incomplete tetanus – near peak
tension with little relaxation
 Complete tetanus – stimuli are so
frequent that relaxation does not
occur. This leads to a smooth,
continued movement

Motor Unit

 Motor units are dispersed evenly throughout the
muscle
 Fine control movements
o Use motor units with very ________________
_____________
 Ex:
 Gross movements
o Motor units have a _____ fiber-to-nerve ratio
o Ex:
Recruitment
 A mechanism for increasing __________________ to
create more ______________________.
 Caused by the addition of more ______________________ to produce adequate tension

Factors that Affect Strength of Contraction

 The amount of overlap of the myofilaments =
o Think of it like _________________________________________________.
 The frequency of stimulation
o The ___________ frequent the stimulus, the more _______ builds up, resulting in stronger contractions
 Number of ___________________________ activated
o More motor units =

Muscle Tone and Atrophy

 Muscle _________________
o Some muscles will still have a little tension even at rest
o Primary function is stabilization of joints and posture
 Muscle _________________
o Occurs in a muscle that is not regularly stimulated
o Muscle becomes small and weak
 o Can be observed after a cast or brace comes off a fracture
Muscle Performance
 Measure in force
o The maximum amount of _____________________________ produced by a muscle or muscle group
 Measure in endurance
o The amount of _____________________ a particular activity can be performed
 Two key factors in muscle performance
 Types of fibers in muscle (_______________ and ____________________)
 Physical conditioning or training

White/Fast Twitch Fibers Red/Slow Twitch Fibers

Quantity: Quantity:

Diameter: Diameter:

Speed: Speed:

Energy Usage: Energy Usage:

Endurance: Endurance:

Uses: Uses:

Muscle Conditioning and Performance

 Human muscles are a __________________of red and white fibers and appear ______________
 Ratio of red to white is determined by _____________________ and will affect ______________________.
 Physical conditioning and training can increase power and endurance of specific fibers
Anaerobic endurance
 Do not use _______________ to make ATP (1 glucose = _______ ATP)
 Used for brief, intense workouts
 Hypertrophy followed by muscle repair results in larger muscle fibers
Aerobic endurance
 Uses ____________________ to make ATP (1 glucose = _______ ATP)
 Increased by sustained, low levels of activity for long periods of time
 Requires constant supply of oxygen