Download Muscle and Neural Tissue

MUSCLE AND NEURAL TISSUE
MUSCLE TISSUES – GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS
1.
Composed of many cells
2.
Well-vascularized
3.
Muscle cells are elongated. Muscle cell = muscle fiber
4.
Muscle fibers are contractile – they change their shape to cause
their attachments to move
5.
Three different type = skeletal, smooth and cardiac
SKELETAL MUSCLE
Most abundant muscle tissue
Location - Muscle that is attached to bones of the skeleton
Function -They contract, causing body movements
Structure – long thin cells, with many nuclei, striated (banded)
appearance
Control - Voluntary control (brain tells muscle to move)
Nuclei
Striations
SMOOTH MUSCLE
Structure - Spindle-shaped cells with one centrally located nucleus,
No visible striations
Location - Found in the walls of hollow organs other than the heart
(digestive and urinary tract organs, uterus, blood vessels)
Control - Involuntary
Function – moving food thru digestive tract (peristalsis), expelling
urine, constricting blood vessels
Nuclei
CARDIAC MUSCLE
Location - Only found in the wall of the heart
Function - Contracts to propel blood throughout the body
Structure – Mono-nucleated, Intercalated discs – specialized gap
junction, Striated or banded appearance
Control - Involuntary (unconscious control)
NEURAL TISSUE
Neural tissue is the main component of the
nervous system
Located in the brain, spinal cord and nerves
Neurons = highly specialized cells that
generate and conduct nerve impulses
Transmit electrochemical signals to and from
the brain