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How do skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle differ in location and control?
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muscle
The structure of striated, or skeletal, muscle. Striated muscle tissue, such as the tissue of the human biceps muscle, consists of long fine fibers, each of which is in effect a bundle of finer myofibrils. Within each myofibril are filaments of the proteins myosin and actin; these filaments slide past one another as the muscle contracts and expands. On each myofibril, regularly occurring dark bands, called Z lines, can be seen where actin and myosin filaments overlap. The region between two Z lines is called a sarcomere; sarcomeres can be considered the primary structural and functional unit of muscle tissue.
In vertebrates, muscle tissue is categorized into three types based on structure, location, and control mechanisms.
Skeletal Muscle
- Location: Almost exclusively attached to the skeleton, forming the bulk of the body's muscle tissue.1
- Control: It is under voluntary control, regulated by the somatic nervous system.1
Cardiac Muscle
- Location: Makes up the mass of the heart, organized into layers of myocardial tissue wrapped around the heart chambers.23
- Control: Although it is a specialized striated muscle, it is under involuntary control. Its rhythmic contractions are regulated by the heart’s pacemaker, the sinoatrial node.1
Smooth Muscle
- Location: Found in the walls of many hollow organs and structures, including the stomach, intestines, urinary bladder, blood vessels, and the dermis.214
- Control: It is under involuntary control, operated by the autonomic nervous system.1