What is the Difference Between Muscular Tissue and Nervous Tissue

The main difference between muscular tissue and nervous tissue is that muscular tissue is responsible for muscular contraction, whereas nervous tissue is responsible for controlling and coordinating the activities of the body.  

Muscular tissue and nervous tissue are two tissue types in the body. They have different functions in the body. 

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Muscular Tissue
– Definition, Types, Function
2. What is Nervous Tissue
– Definition, Types, Function
3. Similarities Between Muscular Tissue and Nervous Tissue
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Muscular Tissue and Nervous Tissue
– Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms  

Muscular Tissue, Nervous Tissue

What is Muscular Tissue

Muscular tissue is one of the four types of tissues that occur in the body. It is composed of muscle cells. They are also known as myocytes, a type of specialized cells. They can shorten their length using a series of motor proteins in the cell. Also, muscle cells are composed of numerous mitochondria, fulfilling the high energy demand of the cells. The three cell types in muscles are smooth muscle cells, skeletal muscle cells, and cardiac muscle cells.

Smooth Muscle Cells

Smooth muscle cells, also known as visceral muscle cells, are found in the organs’ walls, blood vessels, and bronchioles. Also, smooth muscle cells are non-striated, non-branched, single-nucleated, and involuntary-controlled.

Figure 1: Type of Muscle

Skeletal Muscle Cells

The widely distributed muscle cells in the body are skeletal muscle cells that form skeletal muscles. However, they are striated, multinucleated, branched, and voluntary-controlled. Additionally, the myofibrils of the skeletal muscle cells are responsible for the great strength of the skeletal muscles.

Cardiac Muscle Cells

Cardiac muscle cells only occur in the heart. Importantly, they are single-nucleated, striated, branched, involuntary, and intrinsically-controlled.

What is Nervous Tissue

Nerve tissue is another type of tissue that occurs in the body. It is composed of nerve cells, which are granular cells specialized in serving as the functional unit of the nervous system, transmitting nerve impulses throughout the body. Also, the nerve impulses are transmitted through electrical and chemical signals through the neurons. Therefore, nerve cell or neuron is the structural and functional unit of the nervous system. Typically, a nerve cell consists of a cell body or soma, dendrites, and an axon.

Further, the cell body contains a prominent nucleus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and granules containing neurotransmitters. Also, the dendrites are tiny projections of the cell body. Notably, they pick signals from the other cells. Additionally, the axon is a long, thin fiber extended from the cell body. Also, the branches of the axon at its terminal are synaptic knobs. However, most axons are wrapped with a fatty myelin sheath produced by Schwann cells. Furthermore, the small gaps within the myelin sheath are called the nodes of Ranvier.

Figure 2: Nerve Tissue

Moreover, the three types of nerve cells classified based on their function in the nervous system are sensory neurons, motor neurons, and mixed neurons. Importantly, sensory neurons transmit nerve impulses from the sensory receptors to the central nervous system. Also, motor neurons transmit nerve impulses from the central nervous system to the effector organ. Additionally, mixed neurons or interneurons connect sensory and motor neurons in the central nervous system.

Similarities Between Muscular Tissue and Nervous Tissue

• Muscular and nervous tissue are two types of tissues in the body.
• They have different functions in the body. 

Difference Between Muscular Tissue and Nervous Tissue

Definition

Muscular tissue refers to a tissue composed of cells with the special ability to shorten or contract to move body parts. In contrast, nervous tissue refers to the tissue that generates and conducts impulses.

Cells

Muscular tissue is composed of muscle cells, while nerve tissue is composed of nerve cells. 

Structure

Muscle cells are multinucleated, striated, long, cylindrical cells, while nerve tissue consists of a cell body, dendrites, and axons.

Type of Cells

Muscle tissue is composed of three types of cells: smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and skeletal muscles, while nerve tissue is composed of three types of cells: sensory neurons, motor neurons, and mixed neurons.

Function

Muscle tissue is responsible for the contraction and relaxation of muscles, while nerve tissue is responsible for the coordination of body functions.

Conclusion

In brief, muscle and nerve tissue are two types of tissue in the body. Muscle tissue is composed of muscle cells. The three types of cells in the muscle tissue include smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and skeletal muscles. They are multinucleated, striated, long, cylindrical cells. Also, they are responsible for the contraction and relaxation of muscles. In comparison, nerve tissue is composed of nerve cells. The three types of nerve cells include sensory neurons, motor neurons, and mixed neurons. They consist of cell bodies, dendrites, and axons. Additionally, their function is to coordinate the functions of the body. Therefore, the main difference between muscle and nerve tissue is their structure and function.     

References:

1. Muscle Tissue. Muscle Tissue | SEER Training. (n.d.).
2. Nervous Tissue. Nervous Tissue | SEER Training. (n.d.).

Image Courtesy:

1. “Types Of Muscle” By www.scientificanimations.com – Own Work (CC-BY SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Blausen 0672 NeuralTissue” By BruceBlaus.– Own work (CC-BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia