Eletrical Activity of the Heart
- Created by: tiacoles
- Created on: 23-02-16 19:47
Fullscreen
Control of Heartbeat
Cardiac muscle is 'myogenic' - this means that it can contract and relax without recieving signals from the nerves. This pattern of contractions controls the regular heartbeat.
The process starts in the sino-atrial node (SAN), which is in the wall of the right atrium. The SAN is like a pacemaker - it sets the rhythm of the heartbeat by sending regular waves of electrical activity over the atrial walls. This causes both atria to contract at the same time. A band of non-conducting collagen tissue prevents the waves of electrical activity from being passed directly from the atria to the ventricles. Instead, these waves of electrical activity re transferred from the SAN…
Comments
No comments have yet been made