Exam 2 Cadrio Flashcards
(120 cards)
define automaticity
the heart is self excitable, which means it can depolarize without an impulse from outside of the heart
excitability
the response it has to an electrical stimulation
conductivity
the ability to propagate an impulse from cell to cell
contractility
the ability to contract.
is the action potential longer in the atrium or the ventricles
its longer in the ventricles
describe what happens in each of the phases the ventricular action potential
0: fast Na channels open ,and then the slow Ca channels
1: K channels open
2: Ca channels open more
3: K channels open more
4: resting membrane potential
phase 0 of the action potential
Na rushes in, when it reaches a certain point, the activation gate closes (inactivation gate still open), which stops the influx of Na ions.
in a slow response, what ion causes the phase 0 of the action potential
Ca
what role does tetrodotoxin play
it inhibits the fast Na channels.. phase 0 diminishes until you no longer have an upstroke. when the Na current is blocked, you can still get the slow AP (from the Ca channels)
Phase 1:
early repolarization this is a brief repolarization that is caused by the transient outward current channels with K (fast to open and close)
phase 2:
the plateau caused by the slow L-type calcium channels that have opened at the end of depolarization. they take a much longer time to inactivate (compared to Na). the plateau is caused by the counterbalance of the influx of Ca and the efflux of K (delayed rectifier channels)
what phase are the rectifier channels and the transient outward current channels present
the transient outward current channels are present in the phase 1, because those are the ones that open the K channels for a brief repolarization
the rectifier channels open in Phase 2 during the plateau
effects of beta adrenergic stimulation (catecholamines)
this causes the increase of Ca conductance through the L-type calcium channels which will increase contractility
effects of verapamil and amlodipine which are ca channel blockers
this will reduce contractility. if the calcium channels are blocked, the plateau is much shorter and the duration of the AP decrease which will decrease force produced but the heart.
relationship of calcium and heart contraction
the more calcium the stronger the contraction.
phase 3:
the efflux of K will be greater then the influx of Ca. the inward rectifying K channels open, which leads to rapid repolarization.
does the atrium or ventricle have a smaller plateau
the atrium
phase 4:
restoration happens here. membrane goes back to the K equilibrium (Thanks to the Na/K pump)
positive inotropic effect on the heart
this will increase contractility (by inhibiting the Na/K Pump). no Na is pumped back out which cannot work the NCx pump, so Ca is not Brought back to the SR. The NCx only works when there is a gradient for Na. So there is less of a drive to push Ca out. the intracellular Ca concentration increase with will allow the binding of troponin to keep happening and this will keep the heart contracting.
what happens with rigor mortis
there is no ATP, so the cross-bridges are still intact, since ATP is needed to break the cross bridges.
Ischemia on Cardiac tissue
blood t the heart is reduced, so less ATP. less ATP, the Na/K pump doesn’t pump the Na out so there is more Na inside the cell then usual, and more K outside. this bring RMP closer to that of the Na, which means that it is more positive inside. This will mess up the repenting of the activation gate of the Na channel (because it usually needs to get depolarized and reach that negative value to open again). therefore, you lose phase o and this makes a slower action potential. This can lead to changes in conduction velocity and rhythm which can lead to arrhythmia and even death
what is missing in a slow AP
phases 1 and 2
what is phase 0 in a slow AP
this is the net inward flow of Ca vie L-type channels (since Na is not present due to the funky RMP that doe not allow the activation gate of the Na channel to open)
why is it important for things like the AV node to have a slow action potential
this causes a delay between the atrium and ventricle contraction giving het ventricle to fit with enough blood for an efficient contraction. If they went at the same time, there would be no time for adequate filling.