Question

How does the structure of cardiac myocytes and intercalated discs allow the function of cardiac muscle tissue and the heart?

Answer 1

Answer: The structure of the heart is very complex. Cardiac myocytes and intercalated discs follow the function of cardiac muscle tissue and the heart make up part of this very complex system.

Answer 2

The intercalated discs of the heart muscle have gap junctions that allow electrical impulses to pass from one myocyte to the next, so they contract in unison as a syncytium, in a phenomenon called electrical coupling. Intercalated disks also have desmosomes, that provide structural support and prevent the myocytes from tearing away from one another during the stresses of contraction.