Sarcomeres slide
Muscles contract, but how exactly?
Try lifting weights and you immediately notice that your biceps contract. However, the contraction doesn't mean muscles suddenly shrink in situ but rather, the muscle filaments slide over each other. This was hypothesised and proven by scientists and they name this mechanism the sliding filament theory. How is that possible? This site should answer some of your questions. So read on to find out more.
An overview
From this website, you will be walked through relevant concepts of the sliding filament theory, like:
- What do skeletal muscle and heart muscle look like?
- How does a muscle contract?
- How can muscular strength be controlled by the body?
- What affects the tensional force of the muscle?
And if you still don't understand, peruse the FAQs and glossary, or send us an e-mail with your questions.
References
Textbooks
- Saladin, KS 2003, Anatomy and physiology: the unity of form and function, 3rd edn, The McGraw-Hill Companies, USA.
- Martini, FH 2001, Fundamentals of anatomy and physiology, 5th edn, Prentice Hall, USA.
- Boron, WF, Boulpeap, EL 2009, Medical physiology, 2nd edn, Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia, USA.
- Cambray-Deakin, M, Laude, EA, Robson, L 2011, BMS 201: control of the internal environment module booklet, University of Sheffield, UK.
- Tortora, GJ, Derrickson, B 2007, Principles of anatomy and physiology, 11th edn, John Wiley and Sons Inc., USA.
Lectures
- Dr. Borycki, AG
- Dr. Cambray-Deakin, M
Web
Credits
Site header image
- Ring man, by Steve Jurvetson
- University of Sheffield logo, from the University of Sheffield
External Links
Research papers
- "Structural changes in muscle during contraction: interference microscopy of living muscle fibres" by Huxley and Niedergerke
- "Changes in the cross-striations of muscle during contraction and stretch and their structural importance" by Huxley and Hanson (requires subscription)
Web
- How muscles work? by HowStuffWorks.com