
Cardiac muscle, also known as myocardium or heart muscle, is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that forms the heart's wall. The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart's pacemaker. The individual cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocyte) is a tubular structure composed of chains of myofibrils, which are rod-like units within the cell.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Cardiac muscle, heart muscle, myocardium |
| Location | Middle layer of the heart wall |
| Composition | Individual cardiac muscle cells joined by intercalated discs, encased by collagen fibres and other substances that form the extracellular matrix |
| Contraction | Rhythmic, involuntary |
| Contractile units | Sarcomeres |
Explore related products
$12.97
What You'll Learn
- Cardiac muscle is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle
- Cardiac muscle is involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of the heart
- The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart's pacemaker
- Cardiac muscle contracts and releases involuntarily and keeps the heart pumping blood around the body
- The individual cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocyte) is a tubular structure composed of chains of myofibrils

Cardiac muscle is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle
Cardiac muscle, also known as heart muscle or myocardium, is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues. The other two types are skeletal muscle and smooth muscle.
Cardiac muscle is found only in the heart and is an involuntary, striated muscle that makes up the main tissue of the heart wall. It forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). Blood is supplied to the cardiac muscle via the coronary circulation.
The cardiac muscle is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, which are tubular structures made up of chains of myofibrils. These myofibrils consist of repeating sections of sarcomeres, which are the fundamental contractile units of the muscle cells. Sarcomeres are made up of long proteins that organise into thick and thin filaments, called myofilaments. The myofilaments slide past each other as the muscle contracts and relaxes, allowing the heart to pump blood around the body.
Cardiac muscle contracts in a similar manner to skeletal muscle, but with some important differences. Unlike skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle exhibits rhythmic contractions and is not under voluntary control. The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which acts as the heart's pacemaker.
Muscle Memory: Yoga's Impact on the Body's Flexibility
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$28.35 $31.5

Cardiac muscle is involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of the heart
Cardiac muscle, also known as heart muscle or myocardium, is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of the heart.
The cardiac muscle forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). It is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, joined by intercalated discs and encased by collagen fibres and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.
Cardiac muscle contracts in a similar manner to skeletal muscle, although with some important differences. Both cardiac and skeletal muscle possess contractile units known as sarcomeres, which are composed of long proteins that organise into thick and thin filaments, called myofilaments. However, cardiac muscle exhibits rhythmic contractions that are not under voluntary control, whereas skeletal muscle contractions are typically under conscious control. The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart's pacemaker.
The contractility of cardiac muscle, or its ability to contract, is the basis for its pumping action, which keeps the heart pumping blood around the body.
Activating Your Glutes: Simple Exercises for a Stronger Butt
You may want to see also
Explore related products

The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart's pacemaker
Cardiac muscle, also known as myocardium or heart muscle, is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that makes up the majority of the heart wall. The cardiac muscle forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). It is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, joined by intercalated discs and encased by collagen fibres and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.
Cardiac muscle contracts in a similar manner to skeletal muscle, but with some important differences. Cardiac muscle possesses contractile units known as sarcomeres, which skeletal muscle does not have. Sarcomeres are composed of long proteins that organise into thick and thin filaments, called myofilaments. The myofilaments slide past each other as the muscle contracts and relaxes. This process is activated by the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) when delivering an action potential to the muscle, in a process called excitation-contraction coupling.
The heart's contractility, or ability to pump blood, is another key characteristic of its action. This is made possible by the contractile units, or sarcomeres, present in cardiac muscle. These units allow the heart to contract and relax, pumping blood around the body.
Shocking Muscles: How Often Should You Target Them?
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Cardiac muscle contracts and releases involuntarily and keeps the heart pumping blood around the body
The cardiac muscle, also known as the heart muscle or myocardium, is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that makes up the majority of the heart's tissue. The cardiac muscle forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). It is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, joined by intercalated discs and encased by collagen fibres and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.
Cardiac muscle contracts and releases involuntarily, keeping the heart pumping blood around the body. The rhythmic contractions are regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart's pacemaker. The contractile units of the cardiac muscle are known as sarcomeres, which are composed of long proteins that organise into thick and thin filaments, called myofilaments. These myofilaments slide past each other as the muscle contracts and relaxes. This process is activated by the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum when delivering an action potential to the muscle, in a process called excitation-contraction coupling.
Sleep: The Ultimate Muscle Recovery and Growth Enhancer
You may want to see also
Explore related products

The individual cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocyte) is a tubular structure composed of chains of myofibrils
The cardiac muscle, also known as the heart muscle or myocardium, is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the heart wall. The individual cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocyte) is a tubular structure composed of chains of myofibrils. These myofibrils are rod-like units within the cell, which consist of repeating sections of sarcomeres. Sarcomeres are the fundamental contractile units of the muscle cells, composed of long proteins that organise into thick and thin filaments, called myofilaments. These myofilaments slide past each other as the muscle contracts and relaxes. This process is activated by the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) when delivering an action potential to the muscle, in a process called excitation-contraction coupling.
The cardiac muscle (myocardium) forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium), with blood supplied via the coronary circulation. It is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells joined by intercalated discs, and encased by collagen fibres and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.
Cardiac muscle contracts in a similar manner to skeletal muscle, although with some important differences. For example, cardiac muscle exhibits rhythmic contractions and is not under voluntary control. The rhythmic contraction of cardiac muscle is regulated by the sinoatrial node of the heart, which serves as the heart’s pacemaker.
The heart consists mostly of cardiac muscle cells (or myocardium). The outstanding characteristics of the action of the heart are its contractility, which is the basis for its pumping action, and the rhythmicity of the contraction.
Activating Facial Muscles: Simple Techniques for a Youthful Look
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Cardiac muscle is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is also called heart muscle or myocardium.
Cardiac muscle is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) joined by intercalated discs, and encased by collagen fibres and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.
Cardiac muscle contracts and releases involuntarily, keeping the heart pumping blood around the body. The myofilaments in the muscle slide past each other as the muscle contracts and relaxes.











































