MUSCLE AND NEURAL TISSUE

• Muscle Tissue: composed of cells (‘fibers’) specialized for contraction

– Skeletal
– Cardiac
– Smooth

Ψ  All muscle tissues have a reticular fiber matrix

•  Skeletal Muscle Tissue

–  Features of skeletal muscle cells:

•  Striated

•  Can be very long

•  Multinucleated

•  Cannot divide, but new cells can be produced from “satellite  cells”

•  Require neural stimulation

•  Voluntary                      

–  Functions of Skeletal Muscle Tissue

•  Voluntary movement

•  Forms some sphincters

•  Protection of some organs

•  Stabilization of some joints

•  Posture

•  Heat production

 •  Cardiac muscle tissue

–  Features of cardiac muscle cells

•  Striated

•  Branched

•  Intercalated disks

•  Cannot divide

•  No satellite cells

•  Contract rhythmically 

•  No neural stimulation required

 • Smooth muscle tissue

– Features of smooth muscle cells

•  Non-striated

•  May not require neural stimulation

•  Can divide

•  Involuntary

– Functions of smooth muscle

•  Internal movement of food, etc.

•  Blood vessel diameter

•  Bronchiole diameter

•  Pupil diameter

•    Neural Tissue

– Composed of neurons and glial cells (neuroglia)

–  Features of neurons

•  Cell body (soma)

•  Dendrites

•  Axons (nerve fibers)

•  Most cannot divide

 –  Neural tissue arranged as ‘gray matter’ and ‘white matter’