Physiological Properties of the Heart Flashcards
Describe why the heart is a functional syncytium. What happens if one cell in the syncytium depolarises?
- electrical coupling of the muscle cells in the atria and separately in the ventricles
- stimulate one region of that muscle to depolarise, because electrically linked,= entire functional unit contracts in synchrony
What is the principle pacemaker of the heart?
the Sino atrial node
What does the SA node control? What innervates the SA node?
- spontaneous activity that dictates our heart rate comes from
- controlled by autonomic innervation
What is the ionic basis for the membrane potential changes in atrial/ventricular muscle?
- rapid upshot from sodium
- rapid depolarisation by potassium
- plateau, held at positive potential, maintained by calcium
What is key feature of the action potential in nodal tissue?
- never reaches a stable resting membrane potential
- as membrane potential gets negative it drifts up again to the positive
describe the stages 0-4 of the atrial/ventricular action potential. Mention the ions involved and the channels.
0-rapid depolarisation due increased Na permeability, fast Na channels open
1- +20mv=closure of fast Na channels and start of repolarisation, opening of Ca L-type DHP channels
2-influx of Ca, cell can’t repolarise again
3-influx of Ca opens K channels, K floods in to repolarise membrane to resting potential, L-type Ca channels close
4-resting potential, K>Na 50:1
what causes repolarisation in the SA node?
due to potassium influx
How does depolarisation occur in the SA node?
- potassium enters cell repolarising membrane potential to negative
- F-type Na channels open allowing Na influx causing depolarisation to a threshold voltage
- transient Ca channels open and push the action potential a little higher
What 2 components acting together establish a membrane potential?
-F-type channels
-Transient calcium channels
recruit and activate L-type Ca channels, slow, which gradually establish a membrane potential
How do F-type channels operate?
- -sodium channels
- open as membrane potential decreases towards negative as a result of potassium influx
- sodium enters causing depolarisation hence preventing membrane potential reaching a resting voltage
How do the SA node and atrial/ventricular action potentials relate?
depolarisation in nodal tissue, stimulates through electrical connections the cardiac muscle cells to contract during atrial/ventricular depolarisation
What is the neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system? What receptors does it act on?
- Noradrenaline
- beta 1 receptors
What is substance is produced when noradrenaline acts on B1 receptors?
cyclic AMP
what happens as a result of increased cAMP production as a result of sympathetic nervous system?
- recruit protein kinases, phosphorylate certain porteins in the cell
- proteins which form the channels driving pacemaker potential are phosphorylated
what does increased number of phosphorylated channel proteins result in? Why?
- increased conductance of Ca, Na through F-type, hence increased influx
- increased effectiveness of channels or increase in channels recruited