Muscular and Nervous Tissues

Something that differentiates animals from other organisms is the presence of the nervous tissue and muscular tissue. Can you imagine a man or even an animal without these tissues? If they are not present, the very basic function of thinking and reacting to stimuli will be absent. And man cannot survive! Let us explore these tissues in detail.

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Muscular Tissue

(Source: Learnscience.org)

This is a tissue that helps in the movement of the various body parts. They are generally attached to the bones, and thus help in movement. There are three types of muscular tissue. They are:

• Smooth Muscle – These muscle cells do not have striations or stripes. Hence they are called smooth muscle cells. They are also called as involuntary muscles. The cells have a single nucleus and the cells are spindle-shaped. They are found in the walls of the hollow organs like the stomach, uterus etc. Their main function is to move the material through the body. The involuntary muscles are controlled by the brain.
• Skeletal Muscle – The skeletal muscles have stripes or striations. Hence they are also called as the striated muscles. These muscles are voluntary muscles that are controlled by us. They mainly help in the locomotion and are attached to the skeleton. The cells are long and cylindrical with many nuclei. The skeletal muscles can be found in the muscles of the limbs, face, neck etc.
• Cardiac Muscle – This is a muscle that is found only in the heart. The rhythmic contractions of this muscle help in the pumping of blood through the blood vessels to various parts of the body. The brain controls this muscle and is an involuntary muscle.  The cells of this muscle tissue are branched and cylindrical with a single nucleus and striations present.

Video on Nervous Tissue

Nervous Tissue

The nervous tissue is a highly specialized tissue that is present in the animals. They help in transmitting messages from the brain to various parts of the body and vice versa.

The nervous tissue is made of come specialized cells called neurons or nerve cells. They can receive and transmit electrical impulses from different areas of the body to specific locations.  The nervous tissue cells are present in the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves.

Browse more Topics under Tissues

• Introduction to Tissues
• Meristematic Tissue
• Permanent Tissue
• Epithelial Tissue
• Connective Tissues

The neuron is a specialized cell in the nervous system. It consists of mainly three parts, the cell body or the cyton, the axon and the dendrites. The dendrites of one neuron are attached to the dendrites of the other neuron and thus help in the transmission of impulses or messages.

Solved Questions For You

Q: Which tissue is responsible for the movement in our body?

Ans. The muscular tissue is responsible for the locomotion/movement in our body. These are present in all animals to enable movement.

Q: Where is the nervous tissue located in the body?

Ans: The nervous tissue is made up of specialized cells called neurons. The nervous tissue is located in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. These cells collectively make up the nervous tissue.