WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HISTOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CARDIAC AND SKELETAL MUSCLE?
Answer Histologically, there are several differences between skeletal and cardiac muscle. First, skeletal muscle contain several elongate nuclei located usually at the periphery of the cell, while cardiac muscle usually contain only one, centrally placed nucleus. In addition, depending on the section of skeletal muscle, (cross section or longitudinal section), you can see distinct bands (A or I) or what looks like bundle of wires that has been cut, respectively. In this cross-sectional view, with special staining, it is possible to differentiate between some skeletal muscle fiber types (i.e. red vs. white fibers). This characteristic section of skeletal muscle is called Conheim’s field. On the other hand, cardiac muscle fibers usually exhibit extensive branching, and if you get a fortuitous section of tissue, you may even have Purkinje fibers (nervous tissue) in your field of view. Another characteristic of cardiac muscle are intercalated discs, which are the major site of attachment b
