? What is the Cardiac Muscle

The cardiac muscle is the
heart, responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. It is made up of cardiac muscle and is the only place in the body where such muscle is found. All the other muscles in the body are composed of either skeletal muscle or smooth muscle. The most muscular part of the heart is its middle layer, called the myocardium, which is mainly responsible for its contractions.

Cardiac muscle is unique because it is striated, like skeletal muscle, yet involuntary, like smooth muscle. Skeletal muscle controls the body's movement and is generally under conscious, or voluntary, control. The internal organs, on the other hand, with the exception of the heart, are made of smooth muscle, which works without conscious effort.

Striated muscle is arranged in protein filaments known as sarcomeres that are responsible for muscular contraction. Sarcomeres give muscles a striated, or striped, appearance. The striations in the cardiac muscle, unlike those in skeletal muscles, are branched, creating a more tenacious structure.