Cardiac arrhythmias are among the leading causes of mortality. They often arise from
alterations in the electrophysiological properties of cardiac cells and their underlying ionic …

About 50 years ago, pioneering work initiated by Silvio Weidmann and others applied the
Hodgkin-Huxley formalism of membrane excitation to interpret the cardiac electrical activity …

Cardiac pacemaking generation and modulation rely on the coordinated activity of several
processes. Although a wealth of evidence indicates a relevant role of the If (“funny,” or …

Recent experimental studies have demonstrated that sinoatrial node cells (SANC) generate
spontaneous, rhythmic, local subsarcolemmal Ca2+ releases (Ca2+ clock), which occur …

Hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide–gated (HCN) channels are important
members of the voltage-gated pore loop channels family. They show unique features: they …

The atrioventricular (AV) conduction axis provides electrical continuity between the atrial
and ventricular chambers. The" nodal" cardiomyocytes populating this region (AV canal in …

In mammals cardiac rate is determined by the duration of the diastolic depolarization of
sinoatrial node (SAN) cells which is mainly determined by the pacemaker If current. f …

The human heart beats 2.5 billion times during a normal lifespan, a feat accomplished by
cells of the cardiac conduction system (CCS). The functional components of the CCS can be …

Rationale: Athletes present with atrioventricular node dysfunction manifesting as
atrioventricular block. This can necessitate electronic pacemaker implantation, known to be …

HCN channels are the molecular subunits of native funny (f-) channels of cardiac pacemaker
cells and neurons. Although funny channels were first functionally described in cardiac cells …