Cardiac Muscle
Cardiac muscle is only found in the heart, arranged in thick bundles.
• Muscle fibers are striated, short
thick, branched, and have only one central nucleus
• muscle fibers are branched and joined together at gap junctions called
intercalated discs.
• Cardiac muscle contracts rhythmically throughout its lifespan and does not
become fatigued.
• Cardiac contraction is myogenic.
It has a pacemaker that initiates each contraction. This built-in rhythm is
termed auto rhythmicity.
Cardiac muscle is only found in the heart, arranged in thick bundles.
• Muscle fibers are striated, short
thick, branched, and have only one central nucleus
• muscle fibers are branched and joined together at gap junctions called
intercalated discs.
• Cardiac muscle contracts rhythmically throughout its lifespan and does not
become fatigued.
• Cardiac contraction is myogenic.
It has a pacemaker that initiates each contraction. This built-in rhythm is
termed auto rhythmicity.
