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.