Cardiac muscle (
heart muscle) is involuntary,
striated muscle that is found in the walls and histological foundation of the
heart, specifically the myocardium. Cardiac muscle is one of three major types of muscle, the others being
skeletal and
smooth muscle. These three types of muscle all form in the process of
myogenesis. The cells that constitute cardiac muscle, called
cardiomyocytes or myocardiocytes, predominantly contain only one nucleus, although populations with two to four nuclei do exist. The
myocardium is the muscle tissue of the heart, and forms a thick middle layer between the outer
epicardium layer and the inner
endocardium layer.