striated muscle, striped muscle, skeletal muscle

striated muscle, striped muscle, skeletal muscle

or

voluntary muscle

contractile tissue which in vertebrates consists of fibrils with marked striations at right angles to the long axis. The muscle fibres are made up of a number of SARCOMERES (see MUSCLE, I-BAND). The muscle is capable of rapid contraction and is concerned with the movement of skeletal parts - hence the alternative name of'skeletal muscle’. ‘Striped’ or ‘voluntary’ muscle are yet further alternative names, the latter because of its stimulation by the voluntary nervous system. Compare INVOLUNTARY MUSCLE.