Dogs have been used extensively to study atrial arrhythmias, but there are no published mathematical models of the canine atrial action potential (AP). To obtain insights into the ionic mechanisms governing canine atrial AP properties, we incorporated formulations of K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+), and Cl(-) currents, based on measurements in canine atrial myocytes, into a mathematical model of the AP. Th...

OBJECTIVE Propagation of depolarisation and repolarisation in myocardium results from an interplay of membrane potential, transmembrane current, and intercellular current. This process can be represented mathematically with a reaction-diffusion (RD) equation. Solving RD equations for a whole heart requires a supercomputer. Therefore, earlier models used predefined action potential (AP) shapes a...

The complexity and diversity of a neural network requires regulated elongation and branching of axons, as well as the formation of synapses between neurons. In the present study we explore the role of AP-2, a key endocytic adaptor protein complex, in the development of rat hippocampal neurons. We found that the loss of AP-2 during the early stage of development resulted in impaired axon extensi...

The most widely used optogenetic tool, Channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2), is both light- and voltage-sensitive. A light-triggered action potential or light-driven perturbations of ongoing electrical activity provide instant voltage feedback, shaping ChR2 current. Therefore, depending on the cell type and the light pulse duration, the typically reported voltage-clamp-measured ChR2 current traces are ofte...

BACKGROUND Extracellular recordings of electrical activity with substrate-integrated microelectrode arrays (MEAs) enable non-invasive long-term monitoring of contracting multicellular cardiac preparations. However, to characterize not only the spread of excitation and the conduction velocity from field potential (FP) recordings, a more rigorous analysis of FPs is necessary. Therefore in this st...

The anticonvulsant Retigabine is a KV7 channel agonist used to treat hyperexcitability disorders in humans. Retigabine shifts the voltage dependence for activation of the heteromeric KV7.2/KV7.3 channel to more negative potentials, thus facilitating activation. Although the molecular mechanism underlying Retigabine's action remains unknown, previous studies have identified the pore region of KV...

A model of CA3 pyramidal cell axons was used to study a new mode of gating of action potential (AP) propagation along the axon that depends on the activation of A-type K+ current (Debanne et al., 1997). The axonal membrane contained voltage-dependent Na+ channels, K+ channels, and A-type K+ channels. The density of axonal A-channels was first determined so that (1) at the resting membrane poten...

Action potential (AP) generation is the key to information-processing in the brain. Although APs are normally initiated in the axonal initial segment, developmental adaptation or prolonged network activity may alter the initiation site geometry thus affecting cell excitability. Here we find that hippocampal dentate granule cells adapt their spiking threshold to the kinetics of the ongoing dendr...

The timecourse of every action potential (AP) in a cell measured at the soma might not be identical, due to differences in the open channel configuration. However, axons tend to contain only the Na and K channels needed for AP propagation, and therefore exhibit little or no timecourse variation. Further, there is no experimental evidence I am aware of to indicate that AP shape affects vesicle r...

AIM Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a promising cardioprotective agent and a potential modulator of cardiac ion currents. Yet its cardiac effects on humans are poorly understood due to lack of functional cardiomyocytes. This study investigates electrophysiological responses of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) derived cardiomyocytes towards H₂S. METHODS AND RESULTS Cardiomyocytes of ventricular,...