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Conduction abnormalities and ventricular arrhythmogenesis: The roles of sodium channels and gap junctions.


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Authors

Tse, Gary 
Yeo, Jie Ming 

Abstract

Ventricular arrhythmias arise from disruptions in the normal orderly sequence of electrical activation and recovery of the heart. They can be categorized into disorders affecting predominantly cellular depolarization or repolarization, or those involving action potential (AP) conduction. This article briefly discusses the factors causing conduction abnormalities in the form of unidirectional conduction block and reduced conduction velocity (CV). It then examines the roles that sodium channels and gap junctions play in AP conduction. Finally, it synthesizes experimental results to illustrate molecular mechanisms of how abnormalities in these proteins contribute to such conduction abnormalities and hence ventricular arrhythmogenesis, in acquired pathologies such as acute ischaemia and heart failure, as well as inherited arrhythmic syndromes.

Description

This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcha.2015.10.003

Keywords

Conduction, Conduction velocity, Gap junction, Sodium channel, Ventricular arrhythmia

Journal Title

Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2352-9067
2352-9067

Volume Title

9

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
GT received a BBSRC Doctoral CASE Studentship at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, in conjunction with Xention Discovery, for his Ph.D. studies. This manuscript is based, in part, on the doctoral thesis of GT. GT thanks Dr. Antony Workman of University of Glasgow, and Prof. Sarah Lummis, of University of Cambridge, for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of his thesis. We also thank two anonymous expert reviewers who have provided insightful comments and helpful suggestions which we have used to improve our original manuscript.