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Impact of Intracardiac Neurons on Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmogenesis in an Ex Vivo Langendorff System
Published on: May 22, 2018
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Optical Interrogation of Sympathetic Neuronal Effects on Macroscopic Cardiomyocyte Network Dynamics
Rebecca-Ann B Burton1, Jakub Tomek2, Christina M Ambrosi3
1University of Oxford, Department of Pharmacology, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK; University of Oxford, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.
Iscience
|July 17, 2020
Summary
Sympathetic neurons can trigger cardiac arrhythmias. New optical methods reveal how neuron activity impacts heart cell network dynamics, potentially explaining conflicting study results.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Neuroscience
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cardiac arrhythmias can be triggered by sympathetic nervous system activity.
- Understanding neuron-cardiomyocyte interactions is crucial for cardiac health.
- Optogenetics offers precise tools for studying cellular electrophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate optical methods for studying neuron-cardiomyocyte interactions.
- To investigate the impact of sympathetic neuron activity on cardiac network dynamics.
- To explore the role of optogenetics in mechanistic in vitro cardiac studies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized optogenetic selective probing for targeted neuronal activation.
- Employed all-optical electrophysiology for automated activity measurement.
- Performed macroscopic imaging to capture cardiomyocyte network dynamics.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated optical interrogation of sympathetic neurons and their effects on cardiomyocyte networks.
- Showcased the influence of adrenergic stimulation and neurotransmitter release on cardiac behavior.
- Observed that neuron activity can modulate wave stability and re-entrant activity in cardiac cultures.
Conclusions:
- Optical interrogation provides a powerful approach to study neuron-cardiomyocyte interactions.
- Sympathetic neuron activity has a complex, context-dependent effect on cardiac rhythm stability.
- Findings may reconcile conflicting results in experimental and clinical studies of cardiac arrhythmias.
