Lecture 06 Cardiac Muscle Tissue Flashcards
What are the characteristics of the cardiac muscle tissue syncytium?
Sarcomeric arrangement (striated) Mononucleated Central nuclei Syncytium Intercalated discs Cells may branch
What is true of cardiac muscle cells but not skeletal muscle fibers?
Cells are mononucleated
What are the changes of mV in a ventricular fiber during action potential?
Averages about 105 mV
Rises from -85 to +20mV
Remains depolarized for about .2 sec following initial spike
Plateau
Sudden repolarization at the end of the plateau
Where are T tubules found in skeletal muscles fibers compared to cardiac muscle fibers?
T tubules are found at the ends of the thin filaments in skeletal muscle and along the z line in cardiac muscle
How many T tubules per sarcomere in skeletal muscle fibers?
2
What do T tubules form with the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the cardiac muscle fiber?
Diads
What do T tubules form with the SR in skeletal muscle fiber?
Triads
The SR is less extensive in which type on muscle fiber?
Cardiac
What do cardiac muscle cells form?
Syncytium
In the motor unit arrangement in the skeletal muscle fiber, how many nerve fiber synapses with one or more muscle fibers?
1
Why does cardiac muscle fibers only form diads?
T tubules are at the very end so there is room for only one cisternae on one side of the tubules
What are the two main types of cardiac action potentials?
Fast and slow
Fast action potentials are found where?
Atria, ventricles and conduction system (purkinjie)
Where do the very rapidly conducting but non-contractile action potentials occur?
purkinje fibers
Where do the rapidly conducting and contractile action potentials occur?
Atrial and ventricular fibers
Where are slow cardiac action potentials found?
SA and AV nodal tissues
What are the characteristics of Slow cardiac action potentials?
Conduct slowly and automatically depolarizes during resting phase
What are the peaks of amplitude in fast and slow cardiac action potentials?
Fast 100mV
Slow 60 mV
What does it mean when slow cardiac action potentials automatically depolarizes during resting phase?
Start to creep back up and its automatic. Its leaky and reach threshold and fires again. Doesnt need any extrinsic signal
The resting potential of -85 mV is characteristic of which of the following phases of the cardiac fast action potential?
Stage 4
What are the phases of fast action potentials?
Phase 4: resting potential
Phase 0: Rapid depolarization
Phase 1: Initial, incomplete repolarization
Phase 2: Plateau or slow decline of membrane potential
Phase 3. Reploarization
Fast action potentials are due to changes in conductance of what ions?
potassium, sodium, and calcium ions
What is the conductance pattern mostly due to?
Voltage dependent gates
What results in a fast conduction velocity
Greater AP amplitude
More rapid rate of rise of phase 0
Larger cell diameter
Slow action potentials do not have what type of gates?
Fast sodium ion gates
What is the upstroke (depolarization) of action potential due to?
Slow action potential
Calcium
Why does Calcium proceed slowly?
Because Ca concentration is much lower outside of the cell than the sodium concentration
Resting phase potential 4 is close to what mV?
Slow action potential
-60mV
True/False
Change in slow action potential (amplitude) is less than that for fast action potentials
True
SA and AV nodal tissue spontaneoulsy do what to reach threshold during phase 4?
Depolarize slowly
What are the characteristics of fast type contractile myocytes?
Large diameter
High amplitude
Rapid onset of action potential
What are teh characteristics of fast type non-contractile myocytes?
Very large diameter
Very rapid upstroke
What are the characteristics of slow type non-contractile myocytes?
Small diameter
Low amplitude
Slow rate of depolarization
What channels cause the action potential in ventricular fibers?
Fast sodium channels and slow calcium-sodium channels
What is responsible for the initial spike of action potential in ventricular fibers
Fast sodium channels
What ion is necessary for electrical-mechanical coupling?
Calcium
What is the source of calcium necessary for electrical-mechanical coupling
T tubules via diffusion through voltage-dependent dihydrophyridine receptors
And cisternae through channels called ryanodine recpeptors
What type of calcium channels are found in the T tubule membrane in cardiac muscle?
L - type and they are referred to as dihydropyridine receptors and they open in response to the action potential
Once calcium is flowing through the dihydropyridine receptors, they cause what channel to also open and release what ion?
Open the calcium release channels in the SR and they are referred to as ryanodine receptors
Why is it impossible to generate another action potential during absolute refractory period?
During the period the sodium channel gates are closed and nothing will get them open
Why during the relative refractory period a stronger than normal stimulus can generate an action potential?
Towards the end of the repolarization this period occurs where some of the gates can now open at that point.
What makes a refractory period either shorter or longer?
The faster the ion channels and gates return to phase 4 stage the short the RP
The slower the ion channels and gates return to phase 4 the longer the RP
What is involved in gradual depolarization?
SA AV nodes and the purkinje fibers
Does the SA node or the AV node usually depolarizes more rapidly than the others and reaches threshold first?
SA
What becomes the normal “pacemaker” of the heart’s rhythmicity?
SA node
What determines the rhythmicity of the cell?
Rate of depolarization
Gradual depolarization during phase 4 is cause by what?
Special sodium channels which open following phase 3
What is responsible for the plateau that characteries a cardiac muscle action potential?
A high concentration of calcium ions in the intracellular fluids
What is the difference between the repolarization in skeletal muscle vs cardia muscle?
In both the skeletal muscle and the cardiac muscle the sodium channels close rapidly, however the calcium channels open slowly and stay open for a longer period of time in cardiac muscle
What ions are responsible for the plateau in action potential in cardiac muscles?
Calcium ions - Channels open slowly and Ca slowly comes in
Potassium - channels open slowly
So with Ca slowly coming in and adding to the positivity and on top of that the K is not leaving quickly then it plateaus
In what tissue are there far fewer ca-induced calcium release channels? what does this allow?
In cardiac muscle and this allows fine control over sarcoplasmic calcium concentration and contractility.
Can fine control over sarcoplasmic calcium concentration and contractility happen ins skeletal muscle? why or why not?
No, excitation always triggers maximum release of calcium from the SR
What is the electromechanical coupling
The coupling which transforms an electrical impulse into a mechanical action