Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Anatomy of the Heart

Anatomy of the Heart

The human heart is made up of three layers of tissue that are surrounded by the pericardium, a membrane that protects and confines the heart. The outermost layer, closest to the pericardium, is the epicardium. The pericardial cavity separates the pericardium from the epicardium. Beneath the epicardium is the myocardium, the middle layer, and the endocardium, the innermost layer. There are four chambers of the heart: the right atrium, the right ventricle, the left atrium, and the left ventricle.

Overview of the Heart

Overview of the Heart

The heart, a muscular organ located in the chest, functions as the body's pump, circulating blood through the vascular system. It has four chambers: two atria on top and two ventricles below. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body and passes it to the right ventricle, which pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and transfers it to the left ventricle, which pumps it to the rest of the body.
The heart's structure...

Layers of the Heart Wall

Layers of the Heart Wall

The heart wall comprises three distinct layers: the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The outermost layer, the epicardium, is the visceral layer of the serous pericardium, featuring a thin, transparent mesothelial surface and an inner layer of areolar connective tissue with fat deposits that increase with age.
The myocardium, the thickest layer, consists of cardiac muscle cells interconnected by intercalated discs and crisscrossing connective tissue fibers. These muscle fibers contract...

Chambers of the Heart

Chambers of the Heart

The human heart is a complex organ made up of four chambers: the right and left atria and the right and left ventricles. These internal chambers are separated by partitions known as the interatrial and interventricular septa. The exterior of the heart features a groove known as the coronary sulcus that demarcates the atria from the ventricles, while the anterior and posterior interventricular sulci distinguish between the two ventricles.
Deoxygenated blood from the body is received in the right...

Heart Valves

Heart Valves

The human heart is a complex organ with an intricate system of valves that regulate blood flow. There are two main types of valves: atrioventricular (AV) valves and semilunar valves.
The AV valves prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during ventricular contraction. These valves function with the assistance of the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. When the ventricles are relaxed, the chordae tendineae are slack, allowing blood to flow from the atria into the...

Anatomy of the Heart

Anatomy of the Heart

The heart is a hollow, muscular organ approximately the size of a fist, consisting of four chambers. It is enclosed in the pericardium, a fibrous sac with two layers: the visceral and parietal pericardium, separated by a fluid-filled space containing serous fluid to reduce friction.
The heart has three layers: the innermost endocardium, the muscular myocardium, and the outer epicardium, all working together for optimal cardiac function.
Chambers of the Heart
The heart is made up of four...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Small-molecule modulation of β-arrestins.

Nature·2026

Same author

Mechanism of beta-arrestin 1 mediated Src activation via Src SH3 domain revealed by cryo-electron microscopy.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Cardiomyocyte β-arrestins mediate inflammation and cGAS-STING activation in CVB3 viral myocarditis.

American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology·2026

Same author

When the JCI went rogue.

JCI insight·2026

Same author

A positive allosteric modulator of the β1AR with antagonist activity for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

The Journal of clinical investigation·2025

Same author

Adrenergic Hypersensitivity Drives Ventricular Arrhythmias Following Loss of Plexin-Mediated Cardiac Innervation.

JACC. Clinical electrophysiology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Isolation, Culture, and Functional Characterization of Adult Mouse Cardiomyoctyes

Isolation, Culture, and Functional Characterization of Adult Mouse Cardiomyoctyes

Published on: September 25, 2013

Seven-transmembrane-spanning receptors and heart function.

Howard A Rockman¹, Walter J Koch, Robert J Lefkowitz

¹Departments of Medicine and Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. h.rockman@duke.edu

|January 24, 2002

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Understanding cardiac receptors and signaling pathways is key to developing new treatments for cardiovascular diseases. This research focuses on G-protein-coupled receptors, crucial for heart cell communication.

More Related Videos

Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo

Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo

Published on: October 2, 2021

Bidirectional Electrical and Optoelectronic Interfaces in Healthy and Ischemic Ex Vivo Rat Hearts

Bidirectional Electrical and Optoelectronic Interfaces in Healthy and Ischemic Ex Vivo Rat Hearts

Published on: July 18, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

Isolation, Culture, and Functional Characterization of Adult Mouse Cardiomyoctyes

Isolation, Culture, and Functional Characterization of Adult Mouse Cardiomyoctyes

Published on: September 25, 2013

Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo

Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo

Published on: October 2, 2021

Bidirectional Electrical and Optoelectronic Interfaces in Healthy and Ischemic Ex Vivo Rat Hearts

Bidirectional Electrical and Optoelectronic Interfaces in Healthy and Ischemic Ex Vivo Rat Hearts

Published on: July 18, 2025

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular biology
Molecular pharmacology
Cell signaling

Background:

The heart responds to various extracellular signals like hormones and neurotransmitters.
Understanding these signaling mechanisms is vital for treating cardiovascular diseases.
Seven-transmembrane-spanning receptors, or G-protein-coupled receptors, are the most common cardiac receptors.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the complex interactions between cardiac receptors and signaling pathways.
To identify novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases.

Main Methods:

Focus on G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in cardiac research.
Review of recent discoveries in cardiac signaling.

Main Results:

G-protein-coupled receptors play a significant role in cardiac cell communication.
Complex interactions exist between cardiac receptors and their environment.

Conclusions:

Further understanding of cardiac G-protein-coupled receptors can lead to new therapeutic strategies.
Targeting these receptors may offer novel approaches to combat cardiovascular diseases.