Muscle tissue - Cardiac muscle - Intercalated discs

4 important questions on Muscle tissue - Cardiac muscle - Intercalated discs

Intercalated discs are part of the sarcomella and contain two important structures for cardiac muscle contraction. What are these structures?

  • Gap junctions
  • Desmosomes

A gap junction forms channels between adjacent muscle fibres that allow the depolarizing current to flow. What is this joining called and what does it allow to happen?

Electric coupling allows quick transmitting and contraction through a network called syncitium

What does an anchoring structure, like a desmosome, prevent from happening to the cardiac muscle fibre?

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What do the two structures: gap junctions and desmosomes make possible for the intercalated disc?

To let it contract in a wave-like pattern

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