A&P II notes- chapt 8

 DISCLAIMER: This post is notes based on a textbook and is not meant to be a replacement for a proper education


                                                         Chapter 8- Muscular System 

        Muscle 

One of 4 basic tissues of the body characteristics: 

  1. excitability 
  2. contractibility 
  3. extensibility 
  4. elasticity 
Three primary functions: 

  1. Provide motion 
  2. maintain posture 
  3. generate heat 

        Types of Muscle 

Cardiac Muscle- only found in the HEART 

Smooth muscle- found all over the body & carries out unconsious internal movements 

Skeletal muscle- moves bones of the skeleton & voluntary 

         Skeletal muscle (again) 

  • Voluntary Striated 
Epimysium: well defined group of cells surrounded by a fibrous connective sheath

        Skeletal Muscle Attachments 

  • Tendons: Attach to bones by fibrous tissue bands 
  • Aponeuroses: Attach to bones or muscle by broad sheets of fibrous tissue (ex. linea alba) 
  • Origin: More stable site, doesn't move much when muscle contracts 
  • Insertion: Site that undergoes the most movement when a muscle contracts 
        Skeletal Muscle Actions

Agonist- Prime mover, directly produces a desired movement 

Antagonist- directly opposes the action of an agonist

Synergist- contracts at the same time as agonist to assist its action 

Fixator- stabilizes joint to allow other movements 

    Skeletal muscle cell= muscle fiber 

  • very long, large & thin
  • multinucleated 
  • Myofibrils form interior of muscle fiber 
  • network of sarcoplasmic reticulum 
  • system of transverse tubules (T tubules) 
    Skeletal Muscle Cells 

Sarcomere- Two primary protein filaments, responsible for contraction 

Thick dark myosin (sounds like MElanin) 

Thick light actin

Filaments are made of various visible bands 

  • A band
  • H band 
  • I band 
  • Z line
        Neuromuscular Junction 

Neuromuscular Junction- site where ends of motor nerve fibers connect to muscle fibers 

  • Synaptic vesicles at the end of nerve fibers have neurotransmitter acetylcholine 
        Motor Unit 

One nerve fiber and all the muscle fibers in innervates 

  • few muscle fibers per motor unit 
  • small, delicate movement of muscles 
        Connective Tissue Layers 

Holds components of muscle together 

  • endomysium 
  • fascicle 
  • epimysium
- has blood vessels & nerves 

- Continuous w/ tendons of aponeuroses, muscle contraction and relaxation 

  • Nerve impulses comes down motor nerve fiber 
  • impulse reaches end bulb of nerve fiber 
  • acetylcholine released into synaptic space & binds to receptors on sarcolemma surface 
Impulse travels along sarcolemma & through T tubules to interior of the cell 

  • Impulse reaches sarcoplasmic reticulum 
  • Ca++ (calcium ions) are RELEASED into sarcoplasm 
  • Ca++ diffuses into myofibrils & starts contraction 
  • Energy is supplied by ATP 
Sarcoplasmic reticulum begins pumping Ca++ back in again 

  • Ca++ is pulled OUT of myofibrils 
  • energy supplied by ATP 
  • contraction STOPS 
  • muscle returns to original length 
        Mechanics of Muscle Contraction 

    Muscle fibers in a relaxed state 

  • Actin & myosin filaments slightly overlap 
    Muscle fibers stimulated to contract 

  • cross-bridges ratches back and forth 
  • actin filaments pulled towards center of myosin filaments 
  • sarcomere SHORTENED 
Muscle contraction= shortening of all sarcomeres in a muscle fiber 

            Characteristics of Muscle contraction 

    All of nothing principal=when stimulated, individual muscle fiber contracts completely or not all

  • nervous system controls number of muscle fibers stimulated 
            Twitch contraction 

    -Single muscle fiber contraction 

  • latent phase 
  • contracting phase 
  • relaxation phase 
    Muscle contraction 

Max contraction efficiency 

  • When nerve impulses arrive 0.1 seconds apart 
  • the result is a series of complete muscle fiber twitches 
 Smooth, sustained muscle contractions 

  • average out activity actually of all muscle fibers 
 Twitches 

  • contractions in sync with each other 
           Chemistry of Muscle contraction 

  • ATP provides energy to allow sliding of actin & myosin filaments 
  • Creatine Phosphate (c.p) converts ADP back to ATP 
  • Catabolism of glucose & oxygen help to produce ATP & cp
  • glucose is stored in muscle as glycogen 
  • oxygen is stored as myoglobin 
*the title is not relevant in this table it was a mistake on my end




        Muscle metabolism 

    ATP regeneration 

  • Direct Phosphorylation of ADP by creatine phosphate 
  • Anerobic and Aerobic respiration 
  • Only enough ATP for sustained 4-6 second contraction is available at 1 time 
  • Regeneration of ATP is rapid, but there are consequences to continued requirements 
       ATP-Direct Phosphorylation 

    Creatine Phosphate (cp)= high energy molecule stored in muscles 

  • CP gives up its energy to ADP to make creatine & ATP through an enzyme called creatine kinase 
  • There are ~15 seconds of vigorous muscle contractions stored later when the muscles aren't active by taking Creatine+ATP--->CP+ADP 
       ATP-Anerobic Glycolysis 

  • As ATP & CP are being used, ATP is being produced by breakdown of glucose 
  • Glucose is found in the blood & is also stored as glycogen in the muscle 
  • This process is called anaerobic glycolysis as glucose is broken down w/no production of oxygen but instead lactic acid is produced 
         - If oxygen is available, then carbon dioxide is produced instead along with water and ATP 

  • Each molecule of glycogen is broken down into two molecules of pyruvic acid and two molecules of ATP 
  • Normally pyruvic acid would go along aerobic pathways to make more ATP 
            - With muscle contractions & lack of oxygen it instead produced lactic acid 

  •  Very efficient in the short term BUT only produces 2 molecules of ATP but is 2 1/2 times FASTER than aerobic pathways 
  • Glycolysis can produce ~30-40 seconds of fuel for muscle contractions in the anerobic pathway
  • DISADVANTAGES are a large amount of glucose produces only a small amount of ATP & lactic acid will contribute to muscle soreness. 
                 ATP- Lactic Acid 

  • Lactic Acid diffuses out of most muscles in ~30 minute through the bloodstream 
  • It's then used by the liver, heart & kidneys for energy 
  • Liver can convert the lactic acid back into pyruvic acid or glucose for muscle use 
               ATP-Aerobic Respiration 

  • During rest & light exercise, most of the ATP can be produced through aerobic means 
  • Pyruvic acid goes through the Krebs cycle oxidative phosphorylation & electron transport chain & the glucose is completely broken down into carbon dioxide, water and lots of ATP 
  • Each molecule of glucose can result in 36 molecules of ATP 
  • Disadvantages are that it's a slow process, requires oxygen & there's only a small amount of glucose & oxygen stores in myoglobin 
  • Any carbon dioxide diffuses into the blood to be exhaled into the lungs 
                Muscle Fatigue

  • The state of physiological inability to contract despite stimuli
  • NOT one of the issue is a lack of ATP...muscle fatigue occurs before ATP is used up 
  • Ionic imbalances & problems w/ the excitation contraction coupling system including lack of available calcium for release and then no contraction 
  • Increased inorganic phosphate may interfere w/ calcium ions release 
  • Maybe increased magnesium 
  • Lactic acid is NOT actually the cause just causes discomfort
                Oxygen Debt 

        EPOC= Excessive Post exercise Oxygen Consumption 

  • Oxygen MUST be replenished 
  • Lactic acid must be removed and converted to pyruvic acid 
  • Glycogen MUST be replaced 
  • ATP and CP must be remade 
  • Liver must convert lactic acid into glucose or glycogen 
  • During anaerobic exercise the EPOC is the additional oxygen that the body must take in to complete the restoration 
  • High levels of lactic acid in the blood lead to increased carbon dioxide in the blood which then stimulated deeper breathing in the respiratory centers causing deep breathing 
            Heat Production 

  • Muscle activity generated heat 
        - Only ~40% of energy is converted into useful work the rest is given off as heat 

Mechanisms to eliminate excess heat: 

  • Panting
  • Sweating 
  • Radiation from the body surfaces (i.e skin) 
Spasmodic muscle contractions that INCREASE heat production: 

  • Shivering 
            Cardiac muscle 

*Striated Involuntary muscle 

  •  found only in the heart 
  •  Small cells with single nucleus 
  •  LONGER than wide, with multiple branches 
  •  intercalated disks fasten cells together 
        Physiology of Cardiac Muscle 

  • Cells w/no external stimulation 
  • Groups of cells contract at the rate of the most rapid cell in the group 
  • Contractions are rapid and wavelike 
        Cardiac Conduction System 

    Sinoatrial (SA) node 

  • Located in the wall of RIGHT ATRIUM 
  • generates impulse to start each heartbeat 
  • impulse follows controlled path through the heart 
  • structures in heart transmit, delay and redirect 
       - Walls of heart chambers contract in coordinated manner 

        Nerve supply to cardiac muscle 

*NOT NEEDED TO INITIATE CONTRACTIONS* 

    Heart Innervated from two systems 

  • Sympathetic System 
        > Stimulates heart in fight-or-flight response 

  • Parasympathetic System 
        > Inhibits cardiac function 

        Smooth Muscle 

    2 Main forms: 

  • Visceral Smooth muscle 
  1. large sheets of cells in walls of some hollow organs 
  • Multiunit smooth muscle 
  1. small discrete groups of cells 
    Involuntary Muscle 

  • NOT under conscious control 
  • cells small and spindle shaped 
  • single nucleus in center 
  • smooth, homogenous appearance 
  • cell balls up as it contracts 
    Actin & myosin filaments arranged as small contractile units that crisscross the cell

        - dense bodies at each end corresponds to Z lines of skeletal muscle 

        Visceral Smooth Muscle 

    - Found in walls of many soft internal organs 

  • Stomach, intestines, uterus, urinary bladder 
    - Contracts in large, rhythmic waves 

    - Contracts without external stimulation 

  • reacts to stretching 
    Innervated from two systems: 

  1. Sympathetic system DECREASES activity 
  2. Parasympathetic system INCREASES activity 
        Multiunit Smooth Muscle 

  • Individual smooth muscle cells or small groups of cells
  • found where small delicate contractions are needed 
        - ins & ciliary body of eye, walls of small blood vessels & small air passageway in lungs 

  • contraction requires impulses from autonomic nervous system 

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