Role of sinoatrial ring bundle in internodal conduction

The role of the sinoatrial ring bundle (SARB) in internodal conduction was examined by the microelectrode technique in excised rabbit hearts. The spread of the sinus impluse to the surrounding tissues was shown to proceed anteriorly toward the right branch of the crista terminalis significantly faster than toward the other direction. Thus the right SARB and the right branch of the crista terminalis close to the sinus node were the earliest areas excited by the sinus impulse in the areas surrounding the sinus node. It was further shown that the activation sequence does not initiate from the right SARB to the right branch of the crista terminalis via the junction of these two structures. Cutting the SARB did not produce any delay in conduction from the sinus node to the atrioventricular (AV) node. The conduction velocity measured at the endocardial surface by two microelectrodes has proved that conduction in the crista terminalis was significantly faster than in the SARB. The upstroke of the action potential from the crista terminalis was also steeper than that from the SARB. These results suggest that the SARB is not the main route for impulse propagation from the sinus node to the AV node; the fastest internodal conduction therefore takes place with wide wave fronts, along the crista terminalis.