RAT 7 Flashcards
what is an action potential?
a quick temporary change in the membrane potential of a cell in a single region of the plasma membrane
how is an action potential related to muscle contraction?
the action potential causes the muscle to contract in response to the electrical excitation
what is required for a skeletal muscle to have an action potential?
stimulation
is stimulation required for cardiac muscles? why or why not?
no because their electrical activity is coordinated by pacemaker cells
what are pacemaker cells?
a cell that depolarizes spontaneously and triggers action potentials in neighboring cells
what are contractile cells?
triggered by pacemaker cells to also have action potentials
are most cells in the heart contractile cells or pacemaker cells?
contractile cells
what is autorhythmicity?
sets its own rhythm without a need for input from the nervous system
do cardiac muscle cells have striations?
yes
what causes striations?
cells have alternating light and dark bands when viewed under a microscope
list some ways that cardiac muscle cells differ from skeletal muscle cells
- do not form long fibers (they are short and wide and contain a single nucleus)
- contain lots of myoglobin
- contain intercalated discs
what are intercalated discs?
join adjacent cardiac muscle cells (pacemaker to contractile) (contractile to contractile)
what types of cell junctions are found in intercalated discs?
- desmosomes
- gap junctions
how does the action potential of a pacemaker cell differ from the action potential of a skeletal muscle cell?
- pacemaker cells cause an electrical tracing
- depolarization occurs much slower
- the action potential oscillates (never at resting level)
why does hyperpolarization trigger a new action potential in a pacemaker cell?
channels open when the membrane hyperpolarizes and that opening starts a slow depolarization which leads back to step 1
why does hyperpolarization trigger a new action potential in a pacemaker cell?
channels open when the membrane hyperpolarizes and that opening starts a slow depolarization which leads back to step one
what structure is responsible for triggering a new action potential in a pacemaker cell?
HCN channels
what is a cardiac conduction system?
group of interconnected pacemaker cells
what is the function of a cardiac conduction system?
spread cardiac action potentials quickly through the heart
what are the three populations of pacemaker cells that compose the cardiac conduction system?
- sinoatrial node (SA node)
- atrioventricular node (AV node)
- purkinje fiber system
where is the sinoatrial node located?
in the right atrium slightly inferior and lateral to the opening of the superior vena cava
what can influence the rate that the SA node depolarizes?
the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
where is the AV node located?
posterior and medial to the tricupsid valve
what are the components of the purkinje fiber system?
- AV bundle
- right and left bundle branches
- terminal branches
which component of the cardiac conduction system has the fastest intrinsic rate of depolarization?
SA node
why would the SA node set the rhythm of the heart beat?
the fastest rhythm “wins” and sets the heartbeat
what is sinus rhythm?
electric rhythms generated and maintained by the SA node
what happens if the SA node malfunctions?
the AV node can successfully pace the heart, but its slower
what happens if the AV bundle malfunctions?
the SA node cannot pace the ventricles, the purkinje fiber system can pace the heart but only for a short time
what is AV node delay?
conduction slows considerably due to low number of gap junctions between AV nodal cells and presence of the nonconducting fibers skeleton that surround the AV node
how is AV node delay beneficial?
allows the atria to depolarize (and contract) before the ventricles, giving the ventricles time to fill with blood; prevents backflow
what proportion of cardiac muscle cells are contractile cells?
99%
how are action potentials of pacemaker cells transmitted to contractile cells?
intercalated discs
what is the biggest difference between a skeletal muscle action potential and a cardiac contractile cell action potential?
there is no plateu phase in a cardiac contractile cell action potential