striated muscle

(histology) Muscle tissue consisting of muscle fibers having cross striations.

Skeletal muscles forming the bulk of the body; the voluntary muscles derived from the myotomes of the embryo. Generally, they are organized as formed muscles that attach to and move the skeletal structures. The cells are large, elongated, and cylindric, with lengths ranging from 1 mm to several centimeters. The cells have multiple nuclei that are peripherally situated and scattered along the length of the fiber. The fiber contains a large number of elongated fibers that, under the microscope, appear as the alternating light and dark bands that give the characteristic striated appearance of striated muscle. The dimensional relationships between these light and dark bands are altered during contraction of the muscle fiber. The potential interaction between these bands permits the wide range of selective purposeful and rapid activity of the skeletal muscles.

Contractile tissue consisting of fibrils with marked striations at right angles to the longitudinal axis. Each multinucleated muscle fibre consists of sarcomeres The muscle fibre may be a fast-twitch fibre or a slow-twitch fibre. Striated muscle is involved in voluntary movements of skeletal parts.