FUNCTIONAL HUMAN

PHYSIOLOGY
FOR THE EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCES

MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY

Khairun Nisa
Fakultas Kedokteran
Universitas Lampung
2014
TYPES OF MUSCLE TISSUE –
CLASSIFIED BY LOCATION, APPEARANCE, AND BY THE TYPE OF
NERVOUS SYSTEM CONTROL OR INNERVATION.

 Skeletal muscle
 Located throughout the body connected to bones and
joints
 Striated in appearance

 Under voluntary nervous control.

 Smooth or visceral muscle

 Located in the walls of organs
 No striations

 Under involuntary or unconscious nervous control.

 Cardiac muscle
 Located only in the heart
 Striated in appearance

 Under involuntary or unconscious nervous control.

SKELETAL MUSCLE
 Most skeletal muscles are connected to at
least two bones
 Muscles attach directly to bone
 Or muscles attach indirectly to bone through tendons
 Muscles produce movement by producing tension
between its ends
 Skeletal Muscle Structure
 Cellular Level
 Molecular Level
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
CELLULAR LEVEL
 A Skeletal muscle fiber is an individual muscle
cell
 Muscle fibers are long and narrow in shape
 Sarcolemma
 The plasma membrane of the muscle cell
 Surrounds the sarcoplasm

 Many nuclei (multi-nucleated)

 Located in the periphery of the muscle cell just beneath the
sarcolemma
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
CELLULAR LEVEL
 Each muscle fiber contains various organelles
specifically designed to meet the needs of the
contractile skeletal muscle fiber
 Abundant mitochondria
 High demand for energy (ATP) required for muscle contraction
 Myoglobin
 Protein with a high affinity for oxygen
 Transfers oxygen from the blood to the mitochondria of the muscle
cell
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
CELLULAR LEVEL
 Each muscle fiber contains:
 Myofibrils – a cylindrical bundle of contractile proteins,
which are called Myofilaments, within a muscle fiber
 Located in the sarcoplasm of the muscle cell

 Myofilaments – the contractile protein filaments that

make up the Myofibrils
 Actin – thin filament

 Myosin – thick filament

SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
CELLULAR LEVEL
 Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
 Saclike membranous network of tubules
 Elaborate form of smooth endoplasmic reticulum
 Surrounds each myofibril
 Contains terminal cisternae
 Located where the SR ends, which is near the area
where actin and myosin overlap
 The SR tubules and terminal cisternae store
high concentrations of calcium, which is
important in the process of skeletal muscle
contraction
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
CELLULAR LEVEL
 Transverse tubules (T-tubules)
 Closely associated with SR
 Connected to the sarcolemma
 Penetrate the sarcolemma into the interior of the
muscle cell (invaginations)
 Bring extracellular materials into close proximity of
the deeper parts of the muscle fiber
 SR and T-tubules Function
 Activate skeletal muscle contraction when the
muscle cell is stimulated by a nerve impulse
 Transmit nerve impulses from the sarcolemma to
the myofibirls
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
MOLECULAR LEVEL
 Sarcomere
 Smallest contractile unit of the muscle fiber
 Arrangement of Myofilaments
 Alternating bands of light and dark areas
 Due to the organization of the actin and myosin
 Striated appearance
SARCOMERE COMPONENTS
 Z-lines = borders of the sarcomere
 Perpendicular to long axis of the muscle
fiber
 Anchor thin myofilaments (actin)
 M-lines
 Perpendicular to long axis of the muscle
fiber
 Anchor thick myofilaments (myosin)
SARCOMERE COMPONENTS
 A-Bands
 Dark area where actin and myosin overlap

 Equal to the length of the thick myofilaments (myosin)

 Contains the H-Zone

 Lighter area within the A-Band that contains only myosin

 The M-Line is located with the H-zone

 I-Bands
 Light area composed of actin only

 Contains the Z line, which is the boarder of the sarcomere

 Actin is directly attached the Z-Line

 Appears as a darker line through the I-Band.

SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
MOLECULAR LEVEL
 Actin
 G-actin (globular actin) = the basic component
of each actin myofilament
 Contains myosin binding sites
 The actin myofilament consists of two strands
of G-actin molecules
 The two strands of G-action molecules are twisted
together with two regulatory proteins:
 tropomyosin
 troponin
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
MOLECULAR LEVEL
 Tropomyosin
 Rod-shaped protein that occupies the groove
between the twisted strand of actin molecules
 Blocks the myosin binding sites on the G-actin
molecules
 Troponin
 A complex of three globular proteins.
 One is attached to the actin molecule
 One is attached to tropomyosin

 One contains a binding site for calcium

SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
MOLECULAR LEVEL
 Myosin
 Crossbridges
 Composed of a rod-like tail and two globular heads
 The tails form the central portion of the myosin

myofilament
 The two globular headsface outward and in opposite

directions
 Interact with actin during contraction.

 Contain binding sites for both actin and ATP

 The enzyme ATP-ase is located at the ATP binding site

for hydrolysis of ATP
SKELETAL MUSCLE STRUCTURE –
MOLECULAR LEVEL
 Titin
 Connects myosin to the Z-lines in the sarcomere
 It is very elastic
 Able to stretch up to 3 times its resting length
 Important molecule because it is responsible for muscle
flexibility
SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION
 The chemical components and reactions that
occur when a muscle is stimulated by a motor
nerve result in the sliding of the myofibrils
past one another.
 The sliding of each myofibril within a muscle
fiber cause the muscle fiber to shorten.
 When many muscle fibers shorten, the result
is contraction of the skeletal muscle.
SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION
 Role of Actin and Myosin
 These myofilaments are responsible for muscle
contractility
 Arrangement of actin and myosin
 Cross bridges are oriented around the myosin
myofilament in rows so that they may interact with
actin molecules
 The purpose of this complex structure is the
production of tension (pulling force) within the
muscle causing the muscle to shorten, thus causing
movement
SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION –
FORCE GENERATION
 Chemical or heat energy in the body is
converted to mechanical work or movement.
 A nerve impulse arrives at the
neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and
stimulates the beginning of the contraction
process
 NMJ = synapse between a motor neuron and a
skeletal muscle cell
 Stimulation of the skeletal muscle cell
triggers the release of calcium ions from the
terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic
reticulum
 Calcium catalyzes the contraction process
SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION –
FORCE GENERATION
 Calcium ions bind to troponin causing a
conformational change
 Troponin then pushes tropomyosin away thus exposing
the active site that it is covering on actin
 Myosin crossbridges have a strong affinity for the
exposed active site on the actin molecule
 Myosin binds to the exposed active site
 Myosin crossbridges pull on the actin
myofilament pulling it toward the center of the
sarcomere
 This motion physically shortens the sarcomere, the
myofibril, and the muscle fiber.
SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION –
FORCE GENERATION
 After the sarcomere is shortened, the calcium ions
are pumped back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum
 Calcium ions are stored until another nerve stimulus
arrives at the NMJ
 Tropomyosin moves back to its original position of
covering the active site
 This causes the myosin crossbridges to release their hold on
the actin myofilament
 The actin myofilaments slide back to their original
position
THE SLIDING-FILAMENT MODEL
 A muscle contracts because the myosin and actin
myofilaments slide past each other
 Myosin cross bridges attach and pull, release,
reattach and pull, sliding the actin toward the center
of the sarcomere
 Results in shortening of the I-band and the H-zone
 Neither actin nor myosin actually change length even
though the sarcomere is shortened in the contraction
process
 The A-band remains the same length (length of myosin)
 A single attachment of the cross bridge results in
about a 1% shortening of the total muscle
 Muscles normally shorten 35 to 50% of their total
resting length
THE SLIDING-FILAMENT MODEL
 Each myosin cross bridge must attach and reattach
many times during a single contraction
 Called crossbridge cycling
 Power Stroke - Attachment of the myosin cross bridge
to actin requires energy
 Breakdown of ATP into ADP and P provides the energy
required for pulling on the actin myofilament
 ATP-ase catalyzes the breakdown of ATP
 Rigor – low-energy, strong bond between myosin and
actin
 ADP and P are released from the myosin head thus
breaking the bond between the myosin crossbridge and
actin
 Now the muscle is in a state of relaxation
 Cocking - Upon completion of the pulling mechanism,
another ATP attaches to the myosin crossbridge
 Preparation for another crossbridge cycle
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
 Sequence of events that links the nerve impulse
and skeletal muscle contraction
 Motor Neurons – stimulates skeletal muscles
 Excitatory effect
 When a skeletal muscle cell receives input from a
motor neuron, it depolarizes
 Depolarization causes the muscle cell to fire an
action potential
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
 Action Potentials
 Large changes in cell membrane potential (charge)
 Inside of the cell becomes more positive relative to
the outside of the cell
 Function to transmit information over long distances
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
 Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ)
 The synapse between the motor neuron and the
muscle cell
 Synaptic Cleft
 The extra-cellular space between the motor neuron
and the muscle cell
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
 TheNMJ releases a neurotransmitter from
the motor neuron into the synaptic cleft
 The neurotransmitter is acetylcholine (ACh)
 This neurotransmitter is synthesized by the nerve cell

and stored in synaptic vesicles

 When an nerve impulse reaches the NMJ, the
synaptic vesicles release acetylcholine into the
synaptic cleft.
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
4) Acetylcholine rapidly diffuses across the synaptic
cleft to combine with receptors on muscle cell
membrane (sarcolemma)
 The muscle cell is also called the motor end plate
membrane
5) ACh causes depolarization of the muscle cell
membrane
 Generates an action potential
6) Acetylcholine bound to the receptor is rapidly
decomposed by acetylcholinesterase (enzyme)
preventing continuous stimulation of the muscle fiber.
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
 Stimulation of Contraction
 Action potential propogates along the
sarcolemma and down the T-tubules to reach
the sarcoplasmic reticulum
 Sarcoplasmic reticulum releases calcium
 Calcium is actively pumped into and stored in
the SR leaving a small concentration of calcium
ions in the sarcoplasm
 The action potential causes the calcium ions
to be released from the SR into the
sarcoplasm
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING
 When released from the SR, calcium
travels toward the myofilaments
 Calcium binds with troponin on the actin
myofilament causing a conformational change,
which results in moving tropomyosin off the
active site
 Myosin heads are then able to bind to the G-
actin on the active sites
 This begins the contraction process of
crossbridge cycling
EXCITATION-CONTRACTION
COUPLING
 Crossbridge cycling continues as long as there is
an adequate supply of ATP and if there is
stimulation from a motor neuron
 Crossbridge cycling stops if there is an
inadequate supply of ATP or if the motor neuron
impulse stops
 When the motor neuron impulse stops, calcium ions are
rapidly pumped back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum
for storage
 The calcium ion concentration in the sarcoplasm
decreases
 Tropomyosin returns to its original position blocking the
myosin binding site on actin
 The muscle cell relaxes
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM
 How Muscle Cells Provide ATP to Drive the
Crossbridge Cycle…
 The sources of ATP:
 Available ATP in the sarcoplasm
 Creatine phosphate

 Glucose
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM
 Available ATP
 There is a limited supply of readily available ATP
 A small amount of ATP is stored in the myosin
crossbridges immediately available when the
muscle begins to contract.
 Contraction uses up this source of ATP in about 6
seconds making it necessary to have other sources
of ATP available
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM
 Creatine Phosphate (CP)
 When the ATP stores in the myosin crossbridges
are exhausted, ADP and CP are used to
regenerate ATP.
 CP + ADP = ATP + Creatine.
 The energy available from stored ATP and
from the reaction of joining ADP with CP
provides only about 20 seconds worth of
energy
 The muscles could contract only long enough to run a
100 m dash on the energy from these sources
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM
 Glucose
 Cellular respiration of glucose is an energy
source utilized to generate ATP
 Muscle contractions that are longer than 15 - 20
seconds depend on cellular respiration of
glucose as a source of ATP
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM
 Recall
 Cells store glucose in the sarcoplasm in the form of
glycogen
 The cell must break apart the glycogen molecules to
release the individual glucose molecules – this is called
glycogenolysis
 The breakdown of glucose, called glycolysis, occurs in
the sarcoplasm of the muscle cell and does not require
oxygen, it is anaerobic
 Glycolysis produces pyruvic acid, and a small amount of
ATP.
 The majority of the ATP used by muscles is
formed by aerobic processes in the mitochondria.
 At low intensities, the muscle cell depends on aerobic
glycolysis during which oxidative phosphorylation
becomes more important
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM –
CHANGES WITH EXERCISE INTENSITY
 Anerobic Metabolism
 Oxygen is not readily available
 During intense exercise, when the supply of oxygen
cannot keep up with metabolic demand of the cells,
pyruvic acid produced during glycolysis is converted
to lactic acid.
 Lactic acid accumulates in the muscle resulting in the
burning sensation during short duration, high intensity
muscular exercise such as lifting weights
 Lactic acid is quickly removed from the muscle and taken to
the liver where it is converted to glucose
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM –
CHANGES WITH EXERCISE INTENSITY
 Aerobic Metabolism
 Oxygen is readily available
 During prolonged, low-intensity exercise, the
muscles are supplied with adequate oxygen by
the protein myoglobin
 Myoglobin
 Similar to hemoglobin (oxygen binding protein in the
blood)
 Myoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen and binds to
it loosely inside muscle cells
 Myoglobin brings oxygen into the muscle cell and stores
it temporarily
 This provides a continuous supply of oxygen even when
blood flow to the muscle is reduced
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM –
CHANGES WITH EXERCISE INTENSITY
 When exercise stops, the body's need for
oxygen continues for a period of time
 The body responds to this need by continuing
to breathing heavily until all the sources of
ATP have been replenished
 Oxygen Debt
 The amount of oxygen necessary to restore the
resting metabolic state of the body
A better, and more currently accepted, term
to describe the events following exercise is
recovery oxygen consumption
MUSCLE CELL METABOLISM –
CHANGES WITH EXERCISE INTENSITY
 Recovery oxygen consumption
 Includes the oxygen needed to:
 Restore muscles to their resting metabolic condition
 Convert lactic acid to pyruvic acid in the liver

 Replenish cellular stores of glycogen, creatine

phosphate, and ATP
 Return resting body temperature to normal
 Return the heart muscle and the muscles of
respiration to normal, which need repair from the
minor tissue damage that occurs due to exercise
 The amount of oxygen needed to meet
recovery oxygen consumption demands
depends on an individual's physical condition
and the duration and intensity of the exercise
session.
TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 Not all muscle fibers are the same physiologically
 Muscles vary depending on:
 The predominant pathway utilized to synthesize ATP
 Oxidative fibers - predominantly aerobic pathways
 Oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria
 Fatigue-resistant fibers
 Glycolytic fibers – predominantly anaerobic pathways
 Glycolysis in the sarcoplasm
 Fatigable fibers
 The amount of myoglobin
 Red fibers - high amounts of myoglobin
 White fibers - small amounts of myoglobin

 Efficiency of ATPase
 Fast twitch fibers - decompose ATP rapidly
 Slow twitch fibers - decompose ATP slowly
TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 Slow-twitch fatigue-resistant fibers
 Slow oxidative fibers, or red muscle fibers.
 Contain abundant myoglobin giving them their red color.
 Slow acting ATPase enzymes
 Abundant mitochondria
 Depend upon aerobic pathways for production of ATP
 Endurance type muscles
 Able to deliver strong, prolonged contractions.
 Examples:
 Postural muscles - spinal extensors

 Anti-gravity muscles - calf muscle

TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 Fast-twitch fatigable fibers
 Fast glycolytic fibers, or white muscle fibers.
 Contain small amounts of myoglobin
 Fast acting ATPase enzymes
 Allows the muscle fiber to contract rapidly
 Few mitochondria
 Contract for limited periods of time because fatigue rapidly
 Plenty of glycogen
 Depends on anaerobic metabolism
 Extensive sarcoplasmic reticulum
 Rapidly releases and stores calcium ions contributing to rapid
contractions
 Best suited for short duration, high intensity contractions
TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 Intermediate Fibers
 Fast-twitch fatigue-resistant fibers
 Fast glycolytic fibers
 Pale muscle fibers

 Characteristics lie between the red and white fibers

TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 Most of the body's muscles contain a mixture
of fiber types.
 It is the motor nerve that innervates the
muscle cell that determines its type
 Therefore, all of the muscle cells in a single motor
unit are of the same type
 Motor Unit – a motor neuron and all of the muscle
fibers it innervates
 Examples:
 Running – the motor nerve stimulates the motor
units containing fast-twitch fibers.
 Posture – the motor nerve stimulates the motor
units containing slow-twitch fibers.
TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 Slow twitch fibers are recruited first
 This is because they are found in small motor units
 Fast twitch fibers are recruited last
 This is because they are found in large motor units
TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBERS
 People are genetically predisposed to have
relatively more of one fiber type than another
 People who excel at marathon running have higher
percentages of slow twitch fatigue resistant muscle
fibers
 People who excel at sprinting have higher
percentages of fast twitch fatigable fibers
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES:
SMOOTH MUSCLE
 In comparison to skeletal muscle fibers
 Smooth muscle fibers are shorter and thinner
 They have a single, centrally located nucleus
 Lack striations
 Although smooth muscle fibers do contain actin and
myosin, the filaments are thin and randomly
arranged so that it lacks striations
 No T-tubules
 A poorly developed sarcoplasmic reticulum
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: SMOOTH
MUSCLE
 Smooth muscle fibers contract in a similar
manner to skeletal muscles with a few
important functional similarities and
differences.
 Similarities
 Both contractile mechanisms depend on the action of
actin and myosin;
 Both are triggered by membrane impulses and the

release of calcium ions; and

 Both require ATP.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: SMOOTH
MUSCLE
 Differences in smooth muscle include
 Actin has no troponin, the protein that binds to myosin in
skeletal muscle. Rather smooth muscle has a calcium
binding protein called calmodulin. This protein activities
the actin and myosin crossbridge formation.
 Most of the calcium required for contraction comes into the

cell by diffusion from the extracellular fluid.

 Smooth muscle is more resistant to fatigue and produces a

slower, longer lasting contraction than skeletal muscle.

 It is more energy efficient than skeletal muscle in that it can

maintain a more forceful contraction for a longer period of

time with the same amount of ATP.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: SMOOTH
MUSCLE
 Autonomic nervous system control
 Unconscious control of smooth muscle contraction
 Nuerotransmitters
 Acetylcholine (as in skeletal muscle)
 Norepinephrine.

 Neurotransmitters for smooth muscle can be either excitatory

(cause muscle contraction), or inhibitory (prevent muscle
contraction) depending on the receptor on the smooth muscle cell
membrane. Whereas, the neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle is
always excitatory.
 Smooth muscle is also stimulated by certain hormones such as
oxytocin, which stimulates smooth muscle contraction in the
walls of the uterus during childbirth.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: SMOOTH MUSCLE

Multiunit smooth muscle

 Fibers are not very well organized
 Occur as separate fibers scattered throughout the
sarcoplasm rather than in sheets.
 Requires stimulation by a motor nerve impulse from
the autonomic nervous system.
 This type of smooth muscle is found in the irises of
the eyes, arrector pili muscles, blood vessels, and
large airways of the lungs
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: SMOOTH MUSCLE
 Single Unit Smooth Muscle
 Also called Visceral Smooth Muscle because it is found in
the walls of the hollow visceral organs such as the stomach,
intestines, urinary bladder and uterus.
 More common of the two types of smooth muscle.
 The muscle fibers are organized into sheets of cells held in
close contact by gap junctions.
 Organized into two layers:
 Longitudinal layer
 Outer layer directed longitudinally along the length of the structure.
 Contraction of this layer causes the structure to dilate and shorten
 Circular layer
 Inner layer arranged circularly around the structure.
 Contraction of this layer causes the structure to constrict and elongate.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: SMOOTH
MUSCLE
 Intrinsic
Control of Smooth Muscle Contraction
 Myogenic Response
 Smooth muscle is stimulated to contract when it is stretched
 Smooth muscle is able to distend, or stretch, without great

increases in tension or tightness

 Allows hollow organs to be filled
 When the smooth muscle reaches is stretching capacity, it
will contract and force the contents out
 Such as occurs in the intestines or urinary bladder.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC MUSCLE
 Found only in the heart
 Composed of interconnecting, branching fibers that are
striated
 Each cell has a single nucleus similar to skeletal
muscle
 Contains actin and myosin similar to smooth muscle.
 Abundant mitochondria
 Depends on aerobic metabolism
 It cannot sustain an oxygen debt and still function
efficiently
 No motor units
 Not every cardiac muscle cell is innervated by a nerve in order
to stimulate contraction
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC MUSCLE

 Extensive system of T-tubules

 Release large quantities of calcium ions
 Well developed sarcoplasmic reticulum
 Terminal cisternae contain less calcium than in
skeletal muscle
 Strength of the cardiac muscle contraction depends
largely on the influx of calcium from the extracellular
space in addition to that released from the T-tubules
and sarcoplasmic reticulum
 Contains intercalated disks
 Membrane junctions that hold adjacent cells together
and transmit the contraction force to each cell
 Gap Juntions
 Most important intercellular junction that allow
interchange and communication between the
sarcoplasm of connected cardiac muscle cells
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC
MUSCLE
 Communication between Cardiac Muscle
Cells is important to allow the nerve
impulse to rapidly travel from cell to cell
to stimulate contraction
 Stimulation of part of the cardiac muscle cell
results in impulses sent across the entire area
of the heart muscle tissue
 All-or-none Response
 The entire heart muscle contracts as a unit, or
in syncytium
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC
MUSCLE
 Two syncytium are in heart:
 The atrial syncytium and the ventricular
syncytium
 They are almost completely separated from
each other by fibrous tissue
 The all-or-none response applies to the
entire syncytium
 Either both atria contact, or both do not contract at
all
 Either both ventricles contact, or both do not
contract at all
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC
MUSCLE
 Cardiac Muscle Contraction
 Plateau Phase
 The prolonged depolarization in cardiac muscle due to
Calcium influx from the extra-cellular fluid
 The prolonged plateau phase prevents tetany, or
prolonged contractions, that would interfere with the
pumping ability of the heart
 Refractory Period
 Due to the calcium influx in cardiac muscle, there is a
prolonged absolute refractory period of cardiac muscle
lasting about 250 msec.
 Much longer than skeletal muscle which lasts about 1-2
msec.
 Repolarization
 Calcium is pumped back into sarcoplasmic reticulum
and out of cell to the extracellular space.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC
MUSCLE
 Cardiac muscle is self-exciting
 It is able to stimulate itself to contract
 Cardiac muscle is autorhythmic
 It contracts in a periodic manner
 Autorhythmicity causes the automatic
contraction and relaxation of the heart
 Known as the heartbeat.
OTHER MUSCLE TYPES: CARDIAC
MUSCLE
 Autorhythmicity
 Ability of cardiac muscle to repeatedly and rhythmically
contract without external stimulation
 Due to the presence of Pacemaker Cells in the
heart
 Specialized smooth muscle cells that depolarize
spontaneously at regular intervals causing excitation
of the muscle cells without nervous system
stimulation
 The spontaneous impulses travel into the
surrounding muscle tissue through gap junctions
that connect the cell membranes of adjacent muscle
fibers, thus allowing the heart to contract as a
coordinated unit