Definition
noun
Starling’s law states that the force of contraction depends on the length of muscle fibers of the heart wall.
Supplement
The greater the stretch of cardiac muscle, the greater the force of contraction. This means that when there is an unusual increase in volume of blood entering the heart, the ventricular wall stretches causing the cardiac muscle to contract more forcefully (also known as the Frank-Starling mechanisms). Since there is an increase of the load experienced by each muscle fiber the result is greater heart contraction and beat.
Word origin: named after the two physiologists, Otto Frank and Ernest Starling who first described it.
Also called: law of the heart, Frank-Starling law of the heart.
Dictionary > Starlings law
You will also like...

Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)
Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matte..

Types and Causes of Brain Damage
This tutorial describes the different types and causes of brain damage. Find out how genetics, physical injury, lack of ..

Lotic Communities & Animals
A running water environment offers numerous microhabitats for many types of animals. Similar to plants, animals in lotic..

Human Neurology
Human Neurology deals essentially with the nervous system of humans. It also features the various theories put forward b..

IQ, Creativity and Learning
Human intelligence provided the means to utilize abstract ideas and implement reasoning. This tutorial takes a further l..

The Evolution of Cell Organelles
The nucleus containing the genetic material, DNA, and the mitochondria, well-identified as the "powerhouse of the cell",..