Physiology of Muscular

System
 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
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
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
Connective Tissue Wrappings of
Skeletal Muscle

· Endomysium –
around single
muscle fiber
· Perimysium –
around a
fascicle
(bundle) of
fibers
 Parts of a Muscle
• Sarcolemma- Cell Membrane of muscle fiber

• Sarcoplasm- cytoplasm of muscle cell

• Mitochondria- many nuclei

• Sarcomeres- contractile unit b/n z lines

– Contain thick & thin myofilaments

• Actin- (thin); 2 strands twisted together

• Myosin- (thick); made of protein

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Connective Tissue Wrappings of
Skeletal Muscle

· Epimysium –
covers the
entire skeletal
muscle
· Fascia – on the
outside of the
epimysium
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
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
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!
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
 Function of Muscles

· Produce movement
· Maintain posture
· Stabilize joints
· Generate heat
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Cells are multinucleate
· Nuclei are just beneath the sarcolemma
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Sarcolemma – specialized plasma
membrane
· Sarcoplasmic reticulum – specialized
smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Myofibril
· Bundles of myofilaments
· Myofibrils are aligned to give distinct bands
· I band =
light band
· A band =
dark band
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Sarcomere
· Contractile unit of a muscle fiber
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Organization of the sarcomere
· Thick filaments = myosin filaments
· Composed of the protein myosin
· Has ATPase enzymes
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Organization of the sarcomere
· Thin filaments = actin filaments
· Composed of the protein actin
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal
Muscle
· Myosin filaments have heads
(extensions, or cross bridges)
· Myosin and
actin overlap
somewhat
 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
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
Nerve Stimulus to Muscles

· Neuromuscular
junctions –
association site
of nerve and
muscle
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
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle
· Neurotransmitter – chemical released
by nerve upon arrival of nerve impulse
· The neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle is
acetylcholine
· Generation of Action Potential by Na+
Influx
· Neurotransmitter attaches to receptors
on the sarcolemma
· Entrance of Action Potential to
Sarcoendoplasmic Reticulum (SER)
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to
Muscle
· Release of Ca++ from SER
· Formation of Complex with Troponin
and Tropomysin (Covering of Actin and
Myosin)
· Exposure of G-Actin Active site
· Binding of G-Actin Active site with
Myosin Active site (Actin-Myosin
complex formation)
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to
Muscle
· Utilization of ATP by breakdown of into
ADP + Pi + Energy
· CONTRACTION OF MUSCLE
· Again Utilization of ATP for separation of
Actin-Myosin Complex
· Reuptake of Ca++ by SER
· Degenration of Action Potential and
Muscle Relaxation
 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
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)
Contraction of a Skeletal Muscle
· Muscle fiber contraction is “all or none”
· Within a skeletal muscle, not all fibers
may be stimulated during the same
interval
· Different combinations of muscle fiber
contractions may give differing
responses
· Graded responses – different degrees
of skeletal muscle shortening, rapid
stimulus = constant contraction or
tetanus
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
Muscle Response to Strong Stimuli

· Muscle force depends upon the number

of fibers stimulated
· More fibers contracting results in greater
muscle tension
· Muscles can continue to contract unless
they run out of energy
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Muscles and Body Movements

· Movement is
attained due to
a muscle
moving an
attached bone
Muscles and Body Movements

· Muscles are
attached to at
least two points
· Origin –
attachment to a
moveable bone
· Insertion –
attachment to an
immovable bone
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
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)
Body Movements
 Left:
Abduction –
moving the
leg away
from the
midline

Right:
Circumduction: cone- Above –
shaped movement, Adduction-
proximal end doesn’t moving
move, while distal end toward the
moves in a circle. midline
 Slow and Fast Fibers
• Slow-twitch or high-oxidative
– Contract more slowly, smaller in diameter, better
blood supply, more mitochondria, more fatigue-
resistant than fast-twitch
• Fast-twitch or low-oxidative
– Respond rapidly to nervous stimulation, contain
myosin to break down ATP more rapidly, less blood
supply, fewer and smaller mitochondria than slow-
twitch
• Distribution of fast-twitch and slow twitch
– Most muscles have both but varies for each muscle

• Effects of exercise
– Hypertrophies: Increases in muscle size
– Atrophies: Decreases in muscle size 46
Naming of Skeletal Muscles

· Direction of muscle fibers

· Example: rectus (straight)
· Relative size of the muscle
· Example: maximus (largest)
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)
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)
Head and Neck Muscles

Figure 6.14
Trunk Muscles
Deep Trunk and Arm Muscles
Muscles of the Pelvis, Hip, and Thigh
Muscles of the Lower Leg
Superficial Muscles: Anterior
Superficial Muscles: Posterior
 Fatigue
• Decreased capacity to work and
reduced efficiency of performance

Types
• Psychological
– Depends on emotional state of individual
• Muscular
– Results from ATP depletion
• Synaptic
– Occurs in NMJ due to lack of acetylcholine
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 Effects of Aging on
Skeletal Muscle
• Reduced muscle mass
• Increased time for muscle to contract in
response to nervous stimuli
• Reduced stamina
• Increased recovery time
• Loss of muscle fibers
• Decreased density of capillaries in muscle
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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