BSCI-1510L Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Willem Einthoven, Qrs Complex, Rigor Mortis
25 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
In today"s lab you will be using microscopes to examine the differences between different types of vertebrate muscle tissues. Smooth muscle has a simple structure with a single nucleus per cell and cells arranged in sheets. Actin and myosin, the basic contractile structures of muscle cells are arranged in loose networks. Cells are connected by gap junctions, which allow ion flow between muscle cells. This results in a wave-like contraction down the sheet of smooth muscle cells as the nerve signals travel through the sheet. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of contractile organs such as the intestines, in blood vessels and in the walls of the bladder, stomach and other hollow organs. Smooth muscle contraction is usually controlled by the nervous system and is involuntary. While contraction is slower than other types of muscle, smooth muscle can maintain steady levels of contraction for a much longer period than cardiac and skeletal muscle.
