Mechanisms underlying the formation of an irregular heartbeat

What is it about?

Irregular activation of the heart's main pumping chamber are assumed to be linked to spontaneous release of Calcium from intracellular stores in cardiac myocytes. Such events are stochastic by nature, but a larger number of hundreds of thousands of cells must undergo a release event at almost the same time. Using computer simulations we have shown how such subcellular events synchronize at the organ scale to trigger an irregular electrical response.

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Why is it important?

Irregular heartbeats can trigger lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Understanding the mechanisms underlying trigger formation is important therefore to conceive therapeutic strategies.