Types and Characteristics of Muscles Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Types and Characteristics of Muscles - Lab Report Example The muscle tissue has the capability of relaxing and contracting hence; bringing about movement in various parts of the body. These movements include the heart beat and movements within the abdominal region. Muscle tissues also help the veins and lymph system to enable the circulation of blood in the body. This is normally achieved by the cardiac muscle tissue. The skeletal muscle tissue is involved in respiration (Marieb & Hoehn, 2008). These muscles also enhance the movement of tissues which allow an individual to make various facial expressions. In this category, there are three types of muscle tissue, which include the smooth muscle tissue, cardiac muscle tissue and the skeletal muscle tissue. There are several similarities and differences which are considered when comparing smooth and skeletal muscles. In both muscles, the reactions are mainly caused by impulses in the membrane and the augmenting of intracellular calcium ions. They also gain their energy from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (Marieb & Hoehn, 2008). On the other hand, the smooth muscles relax and contract slowly as compared to the skeletal muscles. It is also observed that the smooth muscles have the ability to change their length without any change in tautness. However, this is not the case in the skeletal muscles. The contraction of a muscle usually takes place in a strategic manner. This is explained in the sliding filament theory. When an electrical impulse moves to the sarcolemma through the motor neurone, the neurotransmitters diffuse across the neuromuscular junction and bind the receptors in the muscle cell membrane. This facilitates depolarization hence; the calcium ions move out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and bond with troponin on the actin filaments. This also facilitates the movement of tropomyosin and the myosin head binds to the actin filament. This facilitates contraction of the muscle. The neuromuscular junction is the region where the axons of motor nerves meet the muscle