The intrinsic cardiac nervous system and its role in cardiac pacemaking and conduction
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Published version
Author(s)
Fedele, Laura
Brand, Thomas
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The cardiac autonomic nervous system (CANS) plays a key role for the regulation of cardiac activity with its dysregulation being involved in various heart diseases, such as cardiac arrhythmias. The CANS comprises the extrinsic and intrinsic innervation of the heart. The intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICNS) includes the network of the intracardiac ganglia and interconnecting neurons. The cardiac ganglia contribute to the tight modulation of cardiac electrophysiology, working as a local hub integrating the inputs of the extrinsic innervation and the ICNS. A better understanding of the role of the ICNS for the modulation of the cardiac conduction system will be crucial for targeted therapies of various arrhythmias. We describe the embryonic development, anatomy, and physiology of the ICNS. By correlating the topography of the intracardiac neurons with what is known regarding their biophysical and neurochemical properties, we outline their physiological role in the control of pacemaker activity of the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes. We conclude by highlighting cardiac disorders with a putative involvement of the ICNS and outline open questions that need to be addressed in order to better understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the ICNS.
Date Acceptance
2020-11-20
Citation
Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, 7 (4), pp.54-54
ISSN
2308-3425
Publisher
MDPI
Start Page
54
End Page
54
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease
Volume
7
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Sponsor
British Heart Foundation
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3425/7/4/54
Grant Number
PG/19/13/34247
Subjects
development
ganglia
innervation
nervous system
neural crest cells
neurocardiac junction
neurotransmitter
parasympathetic neurons
sympathetic neurons
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-11-24