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Cardiac Cycle Notes

The document discusses the cardiovascular system including the structure of the heart, receptors involved in heart rate and contractility, cardiac muscle contraction involving calcium and actin/myosin filaments, and the electrical signal flow through different cell types in the heart.

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37 views1 page

Cardiac Cycle Notes

The document discusses the cardiovascular system including the structure of the heart, receptors involved in heart rate and contractility, cardiac muscle contraction involving calcium and actin/myosin filaments, and the electrical signal flow through different cell types in the heart.

Uploaded by

anonaun
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cardiovascular System

1. Explain/draw the structure of the heart. Include the chambers, the valves, the blood
vessels that go in and out of the heart and include other organs involved in the cycle.
2. What receptor is activated in each case
a. Heart (pacemaker cell) – increased heart rate
Beta-1 adrenergic receptors
b. Heart (pacemaker cell) – decreased heart rate
Muscarinic (M2) receptor
c. Heart (cardiomyocyte) – increased contractility / stroke volume :
Beta-1 adrenergic receptors
d. Arteriole (vascular smooth muscle cell) – vasoconstriction :
Alpha-1 adrenergic
e. Arteriole (vascular smooth muscle cell) - vasodilation :
Beta-2 adrenergic
f. Bronchiole (airway smooth muscle cell) - bronchodilation:
Beta-2 adrenergic

3. Explain how Cardiac muscle contraction works. In your answer include the ion
involved and the filaments involved.

An influx of calcium through calcium channels on the cell’s membrane triggers the release of
more calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum(calcium-induced calcium release)

The calcium binds to the protein troponin, which is located on actin filaments. This binding
causes tropomyosin protein to detach from the actin, exposing binding sites for myosin.
At an myosin head, ATP binds and is hydrolyzed into phosphate and ADP. This process
causes the powerstroke movement, which causes the myosin to move and pull along the
actin filament

4. How does the electrical signal flow through the heart? (in your answer include the
different cell types and whether they are in their refractory period or if they are
contracting)
First, the sympathetic neurons release noradrenaline and activate the beta-1
receptors on pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial node to open its inward sodium
channels, and then fast depolarisation with Ca2+ influx and hence fire an action
potential, other cells are now in refractory period. Pacemaker cells do not have
refractory period and undergoes slow depolarization after repolarisation.
Then the action potential is spread to the atrial cardiomyocytes through gap
junctions. The atrial cardiomyocytes undergo action potentials as the Na+ and Ca2+
ions flow into the cell.
At the same time, the action potential is also conducted to the atrioventricular node,
the AV nodal cells have more negative membrane potential and delays the
conduction of AP to the ventricular cardiomyocytes.
Then the ventricular cardiomyocytes receive the depolarization signal from the
Purkinji fibres, and they undergo action potentials after the atrium.

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