Muscular System
Origin
point of attachment which
is more proximal and
more fixed
Insertion
point of attachment which
is more distal and more
movable (flexible) point of
attachment
Belly
fleshy or middle part of a
muscle
Action of Muscles
Flexors
bend or flex a part
ex. Biceps brachii
Iliolumbaris
Extensors
- straighten or extend a
part
- Ex. Longissimus dorsi
Abductors
pull a part away from
the median line or
axis of the body
ex. Dorsalis scapulae
Adductors
pull a part toward the
median line of the
body
ex. Pectoralis
Levators
raise a part
ex. Temporalis
Longissimus dorsi
Mylohyoid
Depressors
lower a part
ex. Temporalis
Depressor mandibulae
Constrictor
narrows or close an opening
ex. External oblique
Transversus abdominis
Dilators
open or enlarge an
opening
ex. Radial
muscles
of iris
Rotators
turn a part around
its longitudinal axis
ex. Gluteus
Pectoralis
Protractors
push a part away
from its base
Retractors
push a part
towards its base
Pronators
moving the palm of
the hand from an
anterior or upward
facing position to
posterior or
downward facing
position
Supinators
opposite of pronation
Types of Muscles
Prime mover
muscle that has the major responsibility for
causing a particular movement
ex. Biceps brachii
Triceps brachii
Synergist
muscles that help the prime mover by
producing the same movement or
reducing undesirable or unnecessary
movement
ex. Sternoradialis synergist of Biceps
brachii
Antagonist
muscle working in opposition to another
muscle
Naming of Skeletal Muscles
1. Location and direction of muscle fibers
ex External Oblique
Rectus abdominis
2. Number of origin
ex. Biceps muscle of the arm with 2 heads
Triceps muscle with 3 heads
3. Action
ex. Extensor cruris
Flexor tarsi anterior
4. Shape of the muscle
ex. Deltoid
5. Attachment
ex. Scapulohumeralis (origin
scapula, insertion deltoid ridge of
humerus
6. Size of the muscle
ex. Gracilis major
Gracilis minor
Dorsal Muscles of the Head and
Trunk
Temporalis
muscle posterior to
the eye and about
the level of
tympanic
membrane
Temporalis
Action raises the
lower jaw and
closes the mouth
Depressor
mandibulae
flattened muscle
posterior to the
temporalis muscle
Action depress
the jaw
Dorsalis
scapula(e)
large, broad
muscle underneath
the depressor
mandibulae
Action abduct the
arm
Latissimus dorsi
large, flat,
triangular muscles
posterior to the
depressor
mandibulae
Action draws the
forelimbs upward
and backward
Longissimus
dorsi
muscle posterior to
the Lat. dorsi
tapering posteriorly
Action extends the
back and elevates
the head
Iiolumbaris
muscle lateral to
the Longissimus
dorsi
Action bends the
back
Coccygeosacralis
paired
small V shaped
muscle
immediately
posterior to
Longissimus dorsi
Action draws the
back and the
urostyle nearer to
each other
Coccygeoiliacus
pair of V shaped
muscle posterior to
the coccygeosacralis
Synergist of
Longissimus dorsi
Action - fixes the
urostyle and helps
extend the back
Ventral Muscle of the Head, Trunk
and Abdomen
Mylohyoid
thin, broad,
transverse muscle
divided into halves
my median
longitudinal c. tissue
(median raphe) on
the ventral side of the
floor of the mouth
Action raises the
floor of the mouth
during swallowing
and breathing
Geniohyoid
flat muscle deep to
the mylohyoid
Action draws the
hyoid forward and
upward
Sternoradialis
median pair of muscles
partly covered by the
mylohyoid
synergist of
Biceps brachii
Action flexor of the
forearm
Deltoid
(Scapulohumeralis)
thick muscle that
passes obliquely to
the sternoradialis
Action-flex the
forearm
Biceps brachii
(upper arm)
Action flex the
forearm
Triceps brachii
(upper arm)
large muscle on
the posterior side
of the upper arm
Action prime mover
for extension of the
forearm
Pectoralis muscle
(anterior, middle
and posterior)
Action adductor
and rotator of the
arm
Rectus abdominis
large muscle that forms the
ventral abdominal wall
linea alba
- median ventral connective
tissue dividing the muscle
into longitudinal halves
inscriptiones tendinae
- divides the muscle into
segments
Action - compress and
abdomen
External oblique
outer muscle that
forms the lateral
wall of the
abdomen
fibers obliquely
directed
Action constrict the
abdomen
Transversus
abdominis
innermost muscle of
the abdomen
thin muscle
underneath the
external oblique
Action constrict the
abdomen
Dorsal Muscles of the Thigh
Triceps femoris
largest and most
anterior 3 headed
muscle of the thigh
Action draws the
hind limb forward
and extends the leg
Gluteus
small but thick
muscle found
anterior to the
Vastus externus
and medial to the
Rectus femoris
anticus
Action rotates the
femur forward
Biceps femoris
(Iliofibularis )
slender muscle
posterior to the
triceps
Action flex the leg
Semimembranosus
large muscle with
oblique markings
posterior to Biceps
femoris
Action adducts the
thigh, flex and extend
the shank
Pyriformis
slender, short
muscle found
between the V.
externus and
proximal end of
Semimembranosus
Action pulls the
urostyle to one
side
Dorsal Muscles of the Shank
Gastrocnemius
largest and most
posterior muscle of
the shank
Action flexor of the
leg and extensor of
the foot
Peroneus
anterior to the
Gastrocnemius
antagonist of
Gastrocnemius
Action - ?
Tibialis anticus
most anterior
muscle of the
shank and splits
into two slips
Action extensor of
the leg , flexor of
the foot
Ventral Muscles of the Thigh
Sartorius
flat muscle that runs
obliquely downwards
Action flexor of the
thigh
Adductor longus
flat muscle
underneath the
Sartorius
Action pulls thigh
forward
Adductor magnus
thick, triangular
muscle posterior to
the adductor
longus
Action pulls the
thigh forward,
adductor of the
thigh
Gracilis major
large muscle with
oblique markings
along its belly
located posterior to
the adductor
magnus
Action pulls the
thigh forward,
flexor and extensor
of the shank
Gracilis minor
long narrow strip of
muscle on the
posterior margin of
the thigh
Action - ?
Semitendinosus
two headed muscle
posterior to the
femur
Action adductor of
the thigh, flexor of
the leg
Extensor cruris
long slender
muscle on the
anterior proximal
half of the tibiofibula
Action extensor of
the foot
Myofibrils
- contractile elements of the skeletal muscle
Sarcomere
- basic structural and functional unit of skeletal muscle
- smallest portion of skeletal muscle capable of contraction
A band
- dark central region in the sarcomere
- made up of overlapping myosin and actin myofilament
I band
- light band in the sarcomere
- made up of actin myofilament
H zone
- light zone at the center of the sarcomere
Z disk
- network of protein fibers forming an attachment site for actin
myofilament
This situation of whole fibers arises from the alternating dark and light
bands of the many smaller, threadlike myofibrils in each muscle fiber. Electron
microscopy and biochemical analysis show that these bands are due to the
placement of the muscle proteins actin and myosin within the myofibrils.
Myosin occurs as thick filaments and actin as thin filaments. The lightest
region of a myofibril (the I band) contains only actin, whereas the darkest
region (the A band) contains both actin and myosin.
The function (contractile) unit of a myofibril is the sarcomere, each of which
extends from the Z line to another Z line. Notice that the actin filaments attach to
the Z lines, whereas myosin filaments do not.
When a sarcomere contracts, the actin filaments slide past the
myosin filaments as they approach one another. This process shortens the
sarcomere. The combined decreases in length of the individual sarcomeres
account of contraction of the whole muscle fiber, and in turn, the whole
muscle. This movement of actin in relation to myosin is called the slidingfilament model of muscle contraction.
Control of Muscle Contraction
When a motor nerve conducts nerve impulses to skeletal muscle fibers,
the fibers are stimulated to contract via a motor unit. A motor unit consists of one
motor nerve fiber and all the muscle fibers with which it communicates. A space
separates the specialized end of the motor nerve fiber from the membrane
(sarcolemma) of the muscle fiber. The motor end plate is the specialized portion
of the sarcolemma of a muscle fiber surrounding the terminal end of the nerve.
This arrangement of structures is called neuromuscular junction or cleft.
Steps in the control of Muscle Contraction
1 - Step 1 in contraction is when the impulse is transferred from a neuron to the
SARCOLEMMA of a muscle cell. Whenever impulses reach the ends of the nerve
fiber branches, synaptic vesicles in the nerve ending release a chemical called
acetylcholine. Acetylcholine diffuses across the neuromuscular cleft between the
nerve ending and the muscle-fiber sarcolemma and binds with acetylcholine
receptors on the sarcolemma.
2 - The impulse travels along the SARCOLEMMA and down the T-Tubules. From the
T-TUBULES, the impulse passes to the SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM. The
sarcolemma is normally polarized; the outside is positive, and the inside is
negative. When acetylcholine binds to the receptors, ions are redistributed on
both sides of the membrane, and the polarity is altered. This altered polarity
flows in a wavelike progression into the muscle fiber by conducting paths
called transverse tubules.
Associated with the transverse tubules is the
endoplasmic reticulum of muscle cells, called sarcoplasmic reticulum.
3 - As the impulse travels along the
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR), the
calcium gates in the membrane of
the SR open. As a result, CALCIUM
diffuses out of the SR and among the
myofilaments.
4 - Calcium fills the binding sites in the TROPONIN molecules. As noted
previously, this alters the shape and position of the TROPONIN which in turn
causes movement of the attached TROPOMYOSIN molecule.
5 - Movement of TROPOMYOSIN permits the MYOSIN HEAD to contact
ACTIN.
Ca
6 - Contact with ACTIN causes the MYOSIN HEAD to swivel.
7 - During the swivel, the MYOSIN HEAD is firmly attached to ACTIN. So,
when the HEAD swivels it pulls the ACTIN (and, therefore, the entire thin
myofilament) forward. (Obviously, one MYOSIN HEAD cannot pull the entire
thin myofilament. Many MYOSIN HEADS are swivelling simultaneously, or
nearly so, and their collective efforts are enough to pull the entire thin
myofilament).
8 - At the end of the swivel, ATP fits into the binding site on the crossbridge & this breaks the bond between the cross-bridge (myosin) and
actin. The MYOSIN HEAD then swivels back. As it swivels back, the ATP
breaks down to ADP & P and the cross-bridge again binds to an actin
molecule.
Muscle relaxes when the nervous
impulse stops. The CALCIUM
PUMP in the membrane will now
transport the calcium back into
the SR. As this occurs, calcium ions
leave the binding sites on the
TROPONIN MOLECULES. Without
calcium, TROPONIN returns to its
original shape and position as
does
the
attached
TROPOMYOSIN. This means that
TROPOMYOSIN is now back in
position, in contact with the
MYOSIN HEAD. So, the MYOSIN
head is no longer in contact with
ACTIN and, therefore, the muscle
stops contracting (i.e., relaxes).
So, under most circumstances, calcium is the "switch" that turns muscle "on and
off" (contracting and relaxing). When a muscle is used for an extended period,
ATP supplies can diminish. As ATP concentration in a muscle declines, the
MYOSIN HEADS remain bound to actin and can no longer swivel. This decline in
ATP levels in a muscle causes MUSCLE FATIGUE. Even though calcium is still
present (and a nervous impulse is being transmitted to the muscle), contraction
(or at least a strong contraction) is not possible.
