Lecture 16:  Muscle Physiology - Smooth and Cardiac Muscle

Sherwood- Chapter 8

Objective:   To appreciate that most groups of smooth muscle tissue are capable of self-excitation.

1.  Multiunit smooth muscle
        a.  autonomic innervaton
        b.  contractile activity is neurogenic
2.  Single unit smooth muscle
        a.  contract as a single unit
        b.  electrically linked by gap junctions
        c.  self-excitable and myogenic contractile activity
3.  Pacemaker activity
4.  Slow-wave potentials