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Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm

Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm

The normal cardiac rhythm is a synchronized electrical activity that facilitates the regular and coordinated contraction of the heart muscle. This process is essential for efficient blood circulation throughout the body. The fundamental elements involved in establishing and maintaining this rhythm include the unique electrical properties of cardiac muscle cells, the sinoatrial (SA) node's pacemaker function, the specialized conducting system, and the ionic mechanisms underlying each phase of...

Cardiac Action Potential

Cardiac Action Potential

Cardiac action potentials are essential for proper heart function, enabling the rhythmic contractions needed for adequate blood circulation. Nodal cells and Purkinje fibers, specialized for electrical conduction, generate these action potentials.
The cardiac action potential process involves a series of phases characterized by the movement of ions across the cardiac cell membranes, leading to the depolarization and repolarization of the cardiac myocytes.
Ionic Basis of Cardiac Action Potentials

Mechanism of Cardiac Arrhythmias

Mechanism of Cardiac Arrhythmias

Arrhythmias are irregular heart rhythms occurring when the heart's electrical impulses become abnormal. These disturbances can lead to various symptoms, depending on their severity and the underlying cause. Some common factors contributing to arrhythmias include hypoxia, ischemia, electrolyte imbalances, excessive catecholamine exposure, drug toxicity, and muscle overstretching. Arrhythmias can be classified into two main types based on the rate and site of origin of abnormal heart rhythms.

Conduction System of the Heart

Conduction System of the Heart

Autorhythmicity is a term that refers to the heart's inherent ability to generate electrical signals and instigate muscle contractions. This self-regulating conduction system within the heart consists of two key components: the pacemaker cells and specialized conducting cells.
The pacemaker cells are located in two primary nodes: the sinoatrial (SA) node and the atrioventricular (AV) node. The SA node pacemaker cells can autonomously depolarize, triggering an action potential that leads to the...

Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles

Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles

The primary role of cardiac muscles is to propel blood throughout the cardiovascular system. The cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, exhibit specialized characteristics that allow them to perform this function.
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy reserves in...

Dysrhythmias III: Characteristics of Dysrhythmias

Dysrhythmias III: Characteristics of Dysrhythmias

Dysrhythmias, also known as arrhythmias, are irregular heart rhythms that result from abnormal electrical activity in the heart, affecting its ability to circulate blood efficiently. Tachyarrhythmias, a subset of dysrhythmias, are characterized by abnormally fast heart rates exceeding 100 beats per minute. Here are some types of tachyarrhythmias with their distinct ECG features:Sinus Tachycardia:Sinus tachycardia presents a regular heart rhythm with an increased rate of 101-180 beats per minute.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Impact of Intracardiac Neurons on Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmogenesis in an Ex Vivo Langendorff System

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Pacemaker interactions induce reentrant wave dynamics in engineered cardiac culture.

Bartłomiej Borek¹, T K Shajahan, James Gabriels

¹Department of Physiology, McGill University, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada.

Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)

|October 2, 2012

Summary

Pacemaker interactions in cardiac tissue can cause wave breaks and reentrant waves, leading to arrhythmias. This study reveals how competing pacemakers trigger these dangerous wave dynamics.

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Area of Science:

Cardiac Electrophysiology
Computational Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Pacemaker interactions are implicated in complex wave dynamics during cardiac arrhythmias.
Understanding these interactions is crucial for elucidating mechanisms of reentrant wave formation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how pacemaker interactions in heterogeneous excitable media can lead to wave break and reentrant wave dynamics.
To explore the role of competing pacemakers in initiating cardiac arrhythmias.

Main Methods:

Utilized in vitro cultures of embryonic chick ventricular cells to model pacemaker behavior.
Employed a modified FitzHugh-Nagumo mathematical model of heterogeneous excitable media.
Introduced a potassium channel blocker (E-4031) to induce competing pacemaker emergence.

Main Results:

In vitro experiments showed that competing pacemakers, induced by E-4031, led to wave break and reentrant wave formation.
Faster pacemakers breaking over slower ones was identified as a key mechanism for reentrant wave generation.
Mathematical modeling corroborated the experimental findings, demonstrating similar dynamics with two distinct pacemaking sites.

Conclusions:

Pacemaker interactions, particularly competition between sites, serve as a significant mechanism for inducing reentrant waves in excitable media.
These findings provide insights into the origins of certain cardiac arrhythmias.
The study highlights the interplay between cellular electrophysiology and macroscopic wave phenomena.