Cardiac muscle
Cardiac Muscle
Cardiac muscle (pronounced: /ˈkɑːrdiæk ˈmʌsəl/), also known as myocardium (from the Greek myo, meaning "muscle", and kardia, meaning "heart"), is one of the three types of muscle tissue in the human body. The others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the walls of the heart.
Etymology
The term "cardiac", meaning "pertaining to the heart", comes from the Greek kardia. "Muscle" comes from the Latin musculus, meaning "little mouse", possibly because of the shape of certain muscles or because contracting muscles look like mice moving under the skin.
Structure
Cardiac muscle is composed of individual heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, connected by intercalated discs, forming long, fibrous strands. Each cardiomyocyte contains myofibrils, which are specialized protein structures that perform muscle contraction. Unlike skeletal muscle, the cardiac muscle forms a branching network in the heart.
Function
The primary function of cardiac muscle is to contract and ensure the pumping of blood throughout the body. It has a unique ability to generate its own electrical impulses, a feature known as automaticity. This allows the heart to maintain its steady rhythm.
Related Terms
- Cardiomyocyte: The individual cells that make up cardiac muscle.
- Intercalated disc: Specialized structures that connect individual cardiomyocytes.
- Myofibril: The contractile units of muscle cells.
- Automaticity: The ability of cardiac muscle to generate its own electrical impulses.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Cardiac muscle
- Wikipedia's article - Cardiac muscle
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