
What is the refractory period of cardiac muscle?
Cardiac Muscle Contraction. The refractory period of cardiac muscle is dramatically longer than that of skeletal muscle. This prevents tetanus from occurring and ensures that each contraction is followed by enough time to allow the heart chamber to refill with blood before the next contraction.
What is the effective refractory period of a pacemaker?
In heart pacemaker cells that act very similarly to neurons, another type of refractory period exists – the effective refractory period or ERP. This timespan occurs at the same time as the ARP but ends immediately before the RRP. It is often ignored in textbooks, as is the case in the above image.
What is the difference between absolute and relative refractory periods?
The absolute refractory period lasts for approximately one millisecond; the relative refractory period takes approximately two milliseconds. Multiple action potentials do not occur in the same neuron at exactly the same time.
What is the refractory period of a neuron?
The refractory period of a neuron is the time in which a nerve cell is unable to fire an action potential (nerve impulse). Two subsets exist in terms of neurons: absolute refractory period and relative refractory period.

What is the absolute refractory period of cardiac muscle?
The absolute refractory period of the cardiac muscle action potential is the time span during which the voltage-gated sodium channels are deactivat...
What is the refractory period of the heart?
After initiating an action potential, the cardiac cell is unable to create another action potential for a period of time (which is slightly shorter...
What is the refractory period in muscle contraction?
The refractory period is the amount of time that must pass after a muscle fiber has been triggered and a contraction has occurred before the muscle...
What does "absolute refractory period" mean?
The interval immediately following a nerve fiber's firing during which it cannot be activated regardless of how powerful the stimulus is known as t...
Why is it important for cardiac muscle to have longer refractory periods and contraction durations?
Cardiac muscle has a significantly longer refractory time than skeletal muscle. This avoids tetanus and guarantees that each contraction is followe...
What are the different phases of cardiac action potential?
Membrane currents responsible for the typical action potential The five stages of the action potential are resting (4), upstroke (0), early repolar...
Which type of refractory period is found in heart pacemaker cells?
In heart pacemaker cells that act very similarly to neurons, another type of refractory period exists – the effective refractory period or ERP.
What is Refractory Period?
To understand the refractory period, you need to know about how electrical messages are transferred from nerve cell to nerve cell or from nerve cell to other tissue cells.
Why is the relative refractory period important?
The relative refractory period is extremely important in terms of stimulus strength. The rate at which a neuron transmits action potentials decides how important that stimulus is. There is no such thing as a weak or strong action potential as all require the same level of electrical or chemical stimulus to occur.
Why do multiple action potentials not occur in the same neuron at exactly the same time?
This is because a neuron experiences two different situations in which it is either impossible or difficult to initiate a second action potential. These two situations describe the two types of refractory periods.
When Na+ channels open at the start of an action potential, Na + ions from outside the cell flood in?
When Na + channels open at the start of an action potential, Na + ions from outside the cell flood in; that part of the neuron becomes positively charged.
How many steps are there in the refractory period of the heart?
Refractory Period of the Heart - Body Function - 78 Steps Health
Is ventricular muscle a good muscle?
Ventricular muscle, unlike skeletal muscle, is incapable of any significant degree of summation of contractions, and this is a very good thing. Imagine that cardiac muscle were able to undergo a prolonged tetanic contraction.
What is the refractory period?
A refractory period follows, during which concentration of K + and Na + are actively restored to their appropriate sides of the sarcolemma by Na +/K + pumps. The muscle cell cannot contract again until Na + and K + are restored to their resting potential states.
What is the polarized state of a cardiac muscle cell?
Cardiac Muscle Contraction. The sarcolemma (plasma membrane) of an unstimulated muscle cell is polarized—that is, the inside of the sarcolemma is negatively charged with respect to the outside. The unstimulated state of the muscle cell, called the resting potential, is created by the presence of large, negatively charged proteins ...
What is rapid depolarization?
Rapid depolarization occurs when fast‐opening Na + channels in the sarcolemma open and allow an influx of Na + ions into the cardiac muscle cell. The Na + channels rapidly close.
What happens when K channels open and K diffuses out of the cell?
Repolarization occurs as K + channels open and K + diffuses out of the cell. At the same time, Ca 2+ channels close. These events restore the membrane to its original polarization , except that the positions of K + and Na + on each side of the sarcolemma are reversed.
Is refractory period longer in cardiac muscle?
The refractory period of cardiac muscle is dramatically longer than that of skeletal muscle. This prevents tetanus from occurring and ensures that each contraction is followed by enough time to allow the heart chamber to refill with blood before the next contraction. Previous Cardiac Conduction. Next Electrocardiogram.
What are the striations of cardiac muscle?
Let’s see the various differential factors between the two. Cardiac muscle is a straited muscle with alternate thin and think striations along with intercalated discs and T-tub ules. The striations consist of proteins. The thin striations are known as I-bands, while the thick ones are known as A-bands. The T-tubules form the triads, and the ...
Which muscle has striations?
Skeletal Muscle. Cardiac muscle is a straited muscle with alternate thin and think striations along with intercalated discs and T-tubules. The striations consist of proteins. The thin striations are known as I-bands, while the thick ones are known as A-bands. The T-tubules form the triads, and the intercalated discs connect ...
How does the muscular system contribute to the movement of the body?
Movement of the human body is possible due to the presence of muscular system. It contributes to almost half of an individual’s body weight. The muscular system consists of numerous muscles that contribute in the movement of the body and certain movements occurring involuntarily within the body like the pumping of the heart etc. Muscles have a unique ability of converting chemical energy stored in the body in the form of ATP to mechanical energy, in the form of movement. There are more than 650 muscles attached to various bones in the body, and there is a specific type of muscle responsible for a particular type of movement. Depending on their specific characteristics, muscles are divided into three categories – Skeletal muscle, Cardiac muscle and Smooth muscle. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones, cardiac muscles are found in the heart and smooth muscles are found in the stomach, gut walls, walls of the blood vessels, and various internal organs of the body. Every muscle is different from the other in various aspects.
What are the three types of muscles?
Depending on their specific characteristics, muscles are divided into three categories – Skeletal muscle, Cardiac muscle and Smooth muscle . Skeletal muscles are attached to bones, cardiac muscles are found in the heart and smooth muscles are found in the stomach, gut walls, walls of the blood vessels, and various internal organs of the body.
Is cardiac muscle similar to skeletal muscle?
From the above information it is clearly evident that the two types of muscles discussed in this article are in no way similar to each other. Their characteristics are specific to their function. Hope this article has helped you in getting a clear picture about the functional and structural difference between cardiac and skeletal muscle.
Which type of cell has no refractory period?
d) cardiac cells have no refractory period
Which muscle cells release calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
In cardiac muscle cells , entry of calcium from the extracellular fluid triggers release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum
What is rising in the sarcoplasm?
d) calcium levels are rising in the sarcoplasm
What angle does myosin head pivot?
d) myosin head pivots from 90o angle to 45o angle

Definition
What Is Refractory period?
- To understand the refractory period, you need to know about how electrical messages are transferred from nerve cell to nerve cell or from nerve cell to other tissue cells.
Absolute vs Relative Refractory Period
- With the above information, it is now possible to understand the difference between the absolute refractory period and relative refractory period. In terms of an action potential, refractory periods prevent the overlapping of stimuli. In theory, each action potential requires around one millisecond to be transmitted. This means we could expect a single axon to forward at least one thousand a…
Effective Refractory Period
- In heart pacemaker cells that act very similarly to neurons, another type of refractory period exists – the effective refractory period or ERP. This timespan occurs at the same time as the ARP but ends immediately before the RRP. It is often ignored in textbooks, as is the case in the above image. We should imagine the absolute refractory period en...
Refractory Period in Psychology
- The word refractory means stubborn or resistant to a process. In terms of action potentials and neurons, this is self-explanatory. A neuron is resistant to a second action potential during refractory periods. In psychology, refractory period means a delay in response. This is not something to do with our intelligence but our reaction times – this refractory period is, therefore…