There are three main types of muscular tissue responsible for movement within the human body:
Skeletal Muscle
- Skeletal muscle is found attached to the skeleton and is responsible for the voluntary movement of bones
- Skeletal muscle fibres run in parallel tracts and are multinucleated and heavily striated
Smooth Muscle
- Smooth muscle is found in the lining of internal organs (GI tract, uterus, blood vessels, eyes, etc.)
- It controls the involuntary constriction of these regions (e.g. peristalsis, vasoconstriction, pupil dilation)
- Smooth muscle fibres are not striated, have a spindle shape and each fibre contains a single central nucleus
Cardiac Muscle
- Cardiac muscle is found in the heart and is responsible for the rhythmic contraction of the heart (i.e. heart beat)
- Cardiac muscle fibres are branching, intercalated, lightly striated and have a single nucleus per fibre
Types of Muscle Tissue
