Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology
Seventh Edition
Elaine N. Marieb
Chapter 6
The Muscular System
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings
The Muscular System
∙ Muscles are responsible for all types of
body movement – they contract or
shorten and are the machine of the
body
∙ Three basic muscle types are found in
the body
∙ Skeletal muscle
∙ Cardiac muscle
∙ Smooth muscle
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 6.1
Characteristics of Muscles
∙ Muscle cells are elongated
(muscle cell = muscle fiber)
∙ Contraction of muscles is due to the
movement of microfilaments
∙ All muscles share some terminology
∙ Prefix myo refers to muscle
∙ Prefix mys refers to muscle
∙ Prefix sarco refers to flesh
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Three Types of Muscular Tissue
(a) Skeletal muscle
(b) Cardiac muscle (c) Visceral smooth muscle
Three Types of Muscular Tissue
Skeletal Muscle Characteristics
∙ Most are attached by tendons to bones
∙ Cells are multinucleate
∙ Striated – have visible banding
∙ Voluntary – subject to conscious control
∙ Cells are surrounded and bundled by
connective tissue = great force, but tires
easily
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Connective Tissue Wrappings of
Skeletal Muscle
∙ Endomysium –
around single
muscle fiber
∙ Perimysium –
around a
fascicle
(bundle) of
fibers Figure 6.1
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Connective Tissue Wrappings of
Skeletal Muscle
∙ Epimysium –
covers the
entire skeletal
muscle
∙ Fascia – on the
outside of the
perimysium
Figure 6.1
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Skeletal Muscle Attachments
∙ Epimysium blends into a connective
tissue attachment
∙ Tendon – cord-like structure
∙ Aponeuroses – sheet-like structure
∙ Sites of muscle attachment
∙ Bones
∙ Cartilages
∙ Connective tissue coverings
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 6.5
Smooth Muscle Characteristics
∙ Has no striations
∙ Spindle-shaped
cells
∙ Single nucleus
∙ Involuntary – no
conscious control
∙ Found mainly in
the walls of hollow
organs
∙ Slow, sustained
and tireless Figure 6.2a
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Cardiac Muscle Characteristics
∙ Has striations
∙ Usually has a
single nucleus
∙ Joined to another
muscle cell at an
intercalated disc
∙ Involuntary
∙ Found only in the
heart
∙ Steady pace! Figure 6.2b
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Function of Muscles
∙ Produce movement
∙ Maintain posture
∙ Stabilize joints
∙ Generate heat
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Cells are multinucleate
∙ Nuclei are just beneath the sarcolemma
Figure 6.3a
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Sarcolemma – specialized plasma
membrane
∙ Sarcoplasmic reticulum – specialized
smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Figure 6.3a
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Myofibril
∙ Bundles of myofilaments
∙ Myofibrils are aligned to give distrinct bands
∙ I band =
light band
∙ A band =
dark band
Figure 6.3b
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Sarcomere
∙ Contractile unit of a muscle fiber
Figure 6.3b
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Organization of the sarcomere
∙ Thick filaments = myosin filaments
∙ Composed of the protein myosin
∙ Has ATPase enzymes
Figure 6.3c
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Organization of the sarcomere
∙ Thin filaments = actin filaments
∙ Composed of the protein actin
Figure 6.3c
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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
∙ Myosin filaments have heads
(extensions, or cross bridges)
∙ Myosin and
actin overlap
somewhat
Figure 6.3d
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Sarcomere Structure
• Sarcomere exists from Z-line to Z-line
• A-Band is dark middle band
– Overlapping think and thin filaments
• I-Band – ends of A-Band, thin filaments only
• Z-line is in the middle if the I-Band
• Myosin filaments are held to the Z-line by titin
proteins
Sarcomere Arrangement
Microscopic anatomy of a skeletal muscle fiber
Z disc H zone Z disc
Thin (actin) filament
Thick (myosin)
filament
(c) I band A band I band M line
Sarcomere
M line
Z disc Z disc
Thin (actin) filament
Elastic (titin)
filaments
Thick (myosin)
filament
(d)
I band H zone M line Outer edge of
thin filaments thick filaments thick filaments linked A band
(e) only only by accessory proteins thick and thin
filaments overlap
Thick Filament Structure
• Composed of many myosin molecules
– Each myosin molecule has a tail region and 2 globular
heads (crossbridges)
Thin Filament Structure
• Composed of actin protein
– 2 strands of globular actin molecules twisted into
a helix
– Actin filaments have binding sites for myosin
cross bridges
– Tropomyosin protein spirals around actin helix
– Troponin protein (3 subunits) is attached to actin
and holds tropomyosin in place
• Call this the troponin-tropomyosin complex
Troponin complex Tropomyosin Actin
Specialized Organelles of Skeletal
Muscle
• Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR) – a type of ER
– Surrounds each myofibril, running parallel to it
– Stores calcium, when stimulated, calcium diffuses into
sarcoplasm
• Transverse Tubules (TT)
– Extends into sarcoplasm as invaginations continuous with
sarcolemma
• T tubules run between cisternae of SR
– Filled with extracellular fluid
– Cisternae of SR and TT form a triad near where thick
and thin filaments overlap
Relationship of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and T tubules to
myofibrils of skeletal muscle
I band A band I band
Z disc H zone Z disc
M
Part of a skeletal line
muscle fiber (cell)
Sarcolemma
Triad
Mitochondrion
Myofibrils
Myofibril
Tubules of
sarcoplasmic
reticulum
Sarcolemma
Terminal cisterna
of the sarcoplasmic
reticulum
T tubule
Properties of Skeletal Muscle
Activity (single cells or fibers)
∙ Irritability – ability to receive and
respond to a stimulus
∙ Contractility – ability to shorten when an
adequate stimulus is received
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 6.13
Nerve Stimulus to Muscles
∙ Skeletal
muscles must
be stimulated
by a nerve to
contract (motor
neruron)
∙ Motor unit
∙ One neuron
∙ Muscle cells
stimulated by
that neuron Figure 6.4a
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Nerve Stimulus to Muscles
∙ Neuromuscular junctions – association
site of nerve and muscle
Figure 6.5b
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Nerve Stimulus to Muscles
∙ Synaptic cleft –
gap between
nerve and
muscle
∙ Nerve and
muscle do not
make contact
∙ Area between
nerve and muscle
is filled with
interstitial fluid Figure 6.5b
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Transmission of Nerve Impulse to
Muscle
∙ Neurotransmitter – chemical released
by nerve upon arrival of nerve impulse
∙ The neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle is
acetylcholine
∙ Neurotransmitter attaches to receptors
on the sarcolemma
∙ Sarcolemma becomes permeable to
sodium (Na+)
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Transmission of Nerve Impulse to
Muscle
∙ Sodium rushing into the cell generates
an action potential
∙ Once started, muscle contraction cannot
be stopped
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The Sliding Filament Theory of
Muscle Contraction
∙ Activation by nerve
causes myosin
heads
(crossbridges) to
attach to binding
sites on the thin
filament
∙ Myosin heads then
bind to the next site
of the thin filament
Figure 6.7
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide
The Sliding Filament Theory of
Muscle Contraction
∙ This continued
action causes a
sliding of the myosin
along the actin
∙ The result is that the
muscle is shortened
(contracted)
Figure 6.7
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The Sliding Filament Theory
Figure 6.8
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Contraction of Skeletal muscle
• Graded muscle response - variation in
muscle tension
• Muscle tension - the condition in which
muscles of the body remain semi-contracted
for an extended period (Stiffness)
Wave summation- contraction repeated
before complete relaxation
Tetanus- Progressive
Twitch- Single contraction stronger contraction
Energy for Muscle Contraction
∙ Initially, muscles used stored ATP for
energy
∙ Bonds of ATP are broken to release energy
∙ Only 4-6 seconds worth of ATP is stored by
muscles
∙ After this initial time, other pathways
must be utilized to produce ATP
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 6.23
Energy for Muscle Contraction
∙ Direct phosphorylation
∙ Muscle cells contain creatine
phosphate (CP)
∙ CP is a high-energy
molecule
∙ After ATP is depleted, ADP is
left
∙ CP transfers energy to ADP,
to regenerate ATP
∙ CP supplies are exhausted in
about 20 seconds
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Figure 6.10a Slide 6.24
Energy for Muscle Contraction
∙ Anaerobic glycolysis
∙ Reaction that breaks
down glucose without
oxygen
∙ Glucose is broken down
to pyruvic acid to
produce some ATP
∙ Pyruvic acid is
converted to lactic acid
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Energy for Muscle Contraction
∙ Anaerobic glycolysis
(continued)
∙ This reaction is not as
efficient, but is fast
∙ Huge amounts of
glucose are needed
∙ Lactic acid produces
muscle fatigue
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Energy for Muscle Contraction
∙ Aerobic Respiration
∙ Series of metabolic
pathways that occur in
the mitochondria
∙ Glucose is broken down
to carbon dioxide and
water, releasing energy
∙ This is a slower reaction
that requires continuous
oxygen
Figure 6.10c
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Muscle Fatigue and Oxygen Debt
∙ When a muscle is fatigued, it is unable to
contract
∙ The common reason for muscle fatigue is
oxygen debt
∙ Oxygen must be “repaid” to tissue to remove
oxygen debt
∙ Oxygen is required to get rid of accumulated
lactic acid
∙ Increasing acidity (from lactic acid) and lack
of ATP causes the muscle to contract less
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Muscle Tone
∙ Some fibers are contracted even in a
relaxed muscle
∙ Different fibers contract at different
times to provide muscle tone
∙ The process of stimulating various fibers
is under involuntary control
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Types of Muscle Contractions
∙ Isotonic contractions
∙ Myofilaments are able to slide past each
other during contractions
∙ The muscle shortens
∙ Isometric contractions
∙ Tension in the muscles increases
∙ The muscle is unable to shorten
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Muscles and Body Movements
∙ Movement is
attained due to a
muscle moving
an attached
bone
Figure 6.12
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Muscles and Body Movements
∙ Muscles are
attached to at
least two points
∙ Insertion–
attachment to a
moveable bone
∙ Origin–
attachment to an
immovable bone
Figure 6.12
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Effects of Exercise on Muscle
∙ Results of increased muscle use
∙ Increase in muscle size
∙ Increase in muscle strength
∙ Increase in muscle efficiency
∙ Muscle becomes more fatigue resistant
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Types of Ordinary Body
Movements
∙ Flexion – decreases angle of joint and
brings two bones closer together
∙ Extension- opposite of flexion
∙ Rotation- movement of a bone in
longitudinal axis, shaking head “no”
∙ Abduction/Adduction (see slides)
∙ Circumduction (see slides)
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Body Movements
Figure 6.13
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Left:
Abduction –
moving the
leg away
from the
midline
Right:
Circumduction: Above –
cone-shaped Adduction-
movement, proximal moving
end doesn’t move, toward the
while distal end midline
moves in a circle.
Types of Muscles
∙ Prime mover – muscle with the major
responsibility for a certain movement
∙ Antagonist – muscle that opposes or
reverses a prime mover
∙ Synergist – muscle that aids a prime
mover in a movement and helps prevent
rotation
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Naming of Skeletal Muscles
∙ Direction of muscle fibers
∙ Example: rectus (straight)
∙ Relative size of the muscle
∙ Example: maximus (largest)
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Naming of Skeletal Muscles
∙ Location of the muscle
∙Example: many muscles are named
for bones (e.g., temporalis)
∙ Number of origins
∙Example: triceps (three heads)
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Naming of Skeletal Muscles
∙ Location of the muscles origin and
insertion
∙ Example: sterno (on the sternum)
∙ Shape of the muscle
∙ Example: deltoid (triangular)
∙ Action of the muscle
∙ Example: flexor and extensor (flexes or
extends a bone)
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Head and Neck Muscles
Figure 6.14
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Trunk Muscles
Figure 6.15
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Deep Trunk and Arm Muscles
Figure 6.16
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Muscles of the Pelvis, Hip, and Thigh
Figure 6.18c
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Muscles of the Lower Leg
Figure 6.19
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Superficial Muscles: Anterior
Figure 6.20
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Superficial Muscles: Posterior
Figure 6.21
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Disorders relating to the
Muscular System
• Muscular Dystrophy: inherited, muscle
enlarge due to increased fat and connective
tissue, but fibers degenerate and atrophy
• Duchenne MD: lacking a protein to
maintain the sarcolemma
• Myasthemia Gravis: progressive weakness
due to a shortage of acetylcholine receptors
