Physiology Flashcards
d: autorhythmicity
Can beat rhythmically without external stimuli
How is the heart controlled?
electronically controlled
Where does heart excitation begin?
Sinoatrial node pacemaker cells
where is the SA node, anatomically?
Upper RA close to superior Vena Cava
What is normal heart rhythm called?
Sinus Rhythm
How does Cardiac Excitement normally origninate?
Cells in SA node has no stable resting membrane potential
Instead they generate REGULAR SPONTANEOUS PACEMAKER POTENTIALS
Takes the membrane potential to a threshold
Every time threshold reached action potential generates
Results in generation of regular spontaneous action potentials in SA nodal cells
d:Pacemaker potential
the slow depolarisation of membrane potential to a threshold
What is the pacemaker potential due to?
o Permeability to K+ does not remain constant in pacemaker cells
• therefore Decrease in k+ efflux
• Na+ influx
• Transient Ca2+ influx
What happens once the threshold is reached in pacemaker cells?
The rising phase of action potential i.e. Depolarisation
The FALLING PHASE OF ACTION POTENTIAL i.e. REPOLARISATION
What is depolarisation caused by in the heart?
•Caused be activation of long-lasting L-type Ca2+ channels
•Results in Ca2+ influx
Fast Na+ Influx
What is repolarisation caused by in the heart?
- Inactivation of L-type Ca2+ channels and
- Activation of K+ CHANNELS
- Resulting in K+ EFFLUX
What is the path of spread of Cardiac excitation in the heart?
Originates in SA node
Cell to Cell conduction in AV node
then to Bundle of His, branches and then purkinje fibers
Describe how SA and AV node conduct the impulse?
From SA node through both atria
From SA node to AV node within ventricles
ALL occurs due gap junctions
but there is also some internodal pathways
Anatomically, where is the Atrioventricular node located?
at the base of the RA
What is the only point of contact between the atria and ventricles?
AV node
Why is the conduction delayed and where?
AV node
allows atrial systole (contraction) to precede ventricular systole
f: bundle of His, purkinje fibres
allow rapid spread of action potential to the ventricles
f: ventricular muscle
cell-to-cell conduction
d: ventricular myocytes
specialised cardiac cells responsible for contraction
d:artrial myocytes
specialised cardiac cells aka pacemaker cells
What is the resting potential for myocytes at rest?
-90mV
what is phase 0 of ventricular muscle action potential?
RISING PHASE OF ACTION POTENTIAL (i.e. DEPOLARISATION) is caused by FAST Na+ INFLUX
This rapidly reverses the membrane potential to about +20 mV
what is phase 1 of ventricular muscle action potential?
closure of Na+ channels and transient K+ efflux
what is phase 2 of ventricular muscle action potential?
Mainly Ca2+ influx
what is phase 3 of ventricular muscle action potential?
Closure of Ca2+ channels and K+ efflux
what is phase 4 of ventricular muscle action potential?
Resting membrane potential
what is the plateau phase of ventricular muscle action potential? What is this unique to?
The membrane potential is maintained near the peak of action potential for few hundred milliseconds
contractile cardiac muscle cells
What causes the plateau phase?
is mainly due to INFLUX of Ca++ through L-type Ca++ channels
What is the falling phase (repolarisation) of action potentials in ventricular muscles caused by? What does it result in?
caused by inactivation of Ca++ channels and activation of K+ CHANNELS
K+ efflux
What changes the Heart Rate?
Autonomic nervous system
What increases HR?
sympathetic stimulation
What decreases the HR?
parasympathetic system
What nerve and what part of the ANS exerts a continuous influence on the SA node at rest?
Vagus nerve CN X
parasympathetic
d: Vagal Tone
activity of vagus nerve
What nerve dominates under normal resting conditions?
Vagus nerve
f: Vagal tone
slows the intrinsic HR from 100bpm to produce normal resting heart rate of 70bpm
normal HR range?
60-100bpm
d: tachycardia
HR >100bpm
d:bradycardia
HR<60bpm
f:vagal stimulation
SLOWS HEART RATE and INCREASE AV NODAL DELAY
What ANS and type of receptors is responsible for SA and AV?
parasympathetic
AcH muscarinic M2 receptors
What is used as a competitive inhibitor of acetylcholine to speed up the heart?
Atropine
What do cardiac sympathetic nerves supply?
SA node and AV node and Myocardium
f: sympathetic stimulation
increases HR and decreases AV nodal delay
increases force of contraction
What is the neurotransmitter for sympathetic nerves in heart? What receptors do they act through?
noradrenaline
β1 adrenoreceptors
What is the structure of cardiac muscle?
striated due to reg arrangement of contractile protein
no neuromuscular joints
What are cardiac cells called?
myocytes
how are myocytes coupled?
electrically via gap junction
What are cardiac gap junctions?
protein channels which forms low resistance electrical communication pathways between neighbouring myocytes
f: cardiac gap junctions
ensure that each electrical excitation reaches all the cardiac myocyctes (All-or-none Law of the heart)
What provides mechanical adhesion between adjacent cardiac cells? What is their function?
desmosomes within intercalated discs provide adhesion
ensure tension developed by one cell is transmitted to the next
What does each muscle fibre contain?
many myofibrils
what are the contractile units of muscle?
myofibrils
Describe the segments of the myofibrils
have alternating segments of thick and thin protein filaments
What are the thin filaments in myofibrils called? and why
Lighter contain ACTIN
What are the thick filaments in myofibrils called? and why
MYOCYIN (thick filaments) causes the darker appearance
What are actin and myocin arranged into within each myofibril?
SARCOMERES
How is muscle tension produced in the heart?
produced by the sliding of actin filaments on myocin filaments
How does force generation occur in the heart?
produced by the sliding of actin filaments on myocin filaments
What does force generation depend on?
ATP-dependent interaction between thick (myosin) and thin (actin) filaments
What is required for both contraction and relaxation?
ATP
What is required to switch on cross bridge formation?
Ca2+
F: Ca2+ ions
Not possible for cross bridge to form if there’s no conformational change, this is what the Calcium ions do
When the muscle fibre is relaxed what happens with regards to the cross bridge?
no cross-bridge binding because the cross-bridge binding site on actin is physically covered by the troponin-tropomyosin complex
What pulls the thin filament inward during contractions?
• Binding of actin and myosin cross bridge triggers power stroke that pulls thin filament inward during contraction
When the muscle fibre is excited what happens in terms of the cross-bridge?
Ca2+ binds with troponin, pulling troponin-tropomyosin complex aside to expose cross-bridge binding site; cross-bridge binding occurs
How does cardiac muscle contract?
influx of Ca2+
What need to be released so cardiac muscle can relax?
Ca2+
Why is a long refractory period required in normal cardiac function?
Ventricular muscle action triggers contraction
long refractory period prevents generation of tetanic contraction ie the cardiac muscle stays contracted for longer
Why is it important that the heart doesn’t contract tetanicily?
key for blood expulsion to the body from the heart chambers
d:refractory period
is a period following an action potential in which it is not possible to produce another action potential
what gives rise to the Stroke Volume (SV)?
Contraction of ventricular muscle
d: Stroke Volume
the volume of blood ejected by each ventricle per heart beat
What gives rise to a larger SV?
o The more the ventricle is filled with blood, the more the heart is stretched and results in bigger stroke volume
What is the equation for SV?
SV = End Diastolic Volume (EDV) – End Systolic Volume (ESV)
SV is regulated by intrinsic/extrinsic mechanisms?
both
Where is the intrinsic control?
the heart muscle itself
What provides the extrinsic control?
nervous and hormonal control
What are changes in SV brought about by in intrinsic control?
brought about by changes in the Diastolic stretch/length of Myocardial Fibres
What is the diastolic length/stretch determined by?
End diastolic Volume (edv)
d: end diastolic Volume (EDV)
the volume of blood within each ventricle at the end of diastole
What determines the Cardiac Preload?
EDV
d: cardiac preload
how much the heart is loaded with blood before it contracts
What determines the EDV?
the VENOUS RETURN to the heart
d: Frank-Starling Law of the heart
that the stroke volume of the heart increases in response to an increase in the volume of blood in the ventricles, before contraction (the end diastolic volume), when all other factors remain constant
What increase the affinity of troponin for Ca2+?
stretch
How is optimal length in cardiac muscle achieved?
via stretching it
due to starling’s law, what happens if venous return to RA increases?
EDV of RV increases, Starling’s law leads to increased SV into pulmonary artery