p. 454. Muscle
- Ian KayIan KayAssociate Head of School, School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University
- and Gethin EvansGethin EvansSenior Lecturer, School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the distinct anatomical and contractile properties of the three types of muscle in the human body: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles. It highlights the interaction of actin and myosin filaments. This is central to the contraction of all types of muscle. The chapter points out that skeletal and cardiac muscle are termed ‘striated muscle’ because of the existence of sarcomeres. It also discusses the regulation of contraction of in all three muscle types, which depends on the movement of calcium into the cytosol of the cell. The chapter clarifies that in skeletal muscle, increases in cytosolic calcium are due to central nervous system activation, while in smooth muscle, increases in cytosolic calcium can be due to central nervous system activation. It explains the increases in cytosolic calcium in the cardiac muscle. These are due to the action of the conduction system of the heart.
