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Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Heart pp 227–239Cite as

Excitation-Contraction Coupling: Relationship of Slow Inward Current to Contraction

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Part of the book series: Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine ((DICM,volume 90))

Abstract

Although transient increases in calcium (Ca) concentration near the myofilaments underlie phasic contractile events, the source of this activator Ca is not the same for all muscle cells. In skeletal muscle, the activator Ca comes nearly exclusively from the cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), whereas in the frog heart it appears to come from extracellular locations. Mammalian cardiac muscle lies between these two extremes in that contraction is mainly dependent on Ca released from the SR, but there is a requirement for Ca influx across the sarcolemma to trigger the release {1}. This flux of Ca passes through voltage-gated ionic channels (Ca channels). Since these channels open at potentials positive to −50 mV, ISi flows during the plateau of the cardiac action potential and is therefore well placed to participate in the excitation-contraction coupling process. This chapter examines the role of ISi in contraction, with particular emphasis being given to voltage-clamp experiments on mammalian ventricular muscle.

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  1. Terence F. McDonald
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Biophysics and College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 231 Bethesda Avenue, 45267-0579, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Nicholas Sperelakis

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McDonald, T.F. (1989). Excitation-Contraction Coupling: Relationship of Slow Inward Current to Contraction. In: Sperelakis, N. (eds) Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Heart. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol 90. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0873-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0873-7_10

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