Action Potentials and Contraction in Cardiac Muscle Cells

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In this episode, I show how the Action potential is generated in cardiac muscle cells and how this results in Contraction of the Heart. When the action potential happens, calcium ions are released from the Sarcoplasmic reticulum, causing the plateau. Calcium ions then trigger muscle contraction.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Review: SA and AV Node and Purkinje Fibers
01:00 How heart muscle cells are electrically connected.
02:08 Conduction velocities
03:14 Why does conduction velocity change from the SA Node down to the Purkinje fibers?
03:51 What happens inside the cardiac muscle cells?
04:13 Action potential chart - Depolarization of membrane potential
04:44 Plateau phase (calcium ions are released)
05:24 Repolarization of cardiac muscle cells
06:16 Release of calcium ions and Muscle contraction

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