Sinoatrial Node

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Sinoatrial Node

The sinoatrial node (also known as the SA node or the sinus node) is a group of cells located in the wall of the right atrium of the heart. These cells have the ability to spontaneously produce an electrical impulse (action potential; see below for more details), that travels through the heart via the electrical conduction system,,using it to contract. In a healthy heart, the SA node continuously produces action potential, setting the rhythm of the heart and so is known as the heart's natural pacemaker. The rate of action potential production (and therefore the heart rate) is influenced by nerves that supply it.

The cells of the SA node are spread out within a mesh of connective tissue, containing nerves, blood vessels, collagen and fat. Immediately surrounding the SA node cells are paranodal cells.These cells have structures intermediate between that of the SA node cells and the rest of the atrium. The connective tissue, along with the paranodal cells, insulate the SA node from the rest of the atrium, preventing the electrical activity of the atrial cells from affecting the SA node cells. The SA node cells are smaller and paler than the surrounding atrial cells, with the average cell being around 8 micrometers in diameter and 20-30 micrometers in length (1 micrometer= 0.000001 meter). Unlike the atrial cells, SA node cells contain fewer mitochondria (the power plant of the cell), fewer myofibers (the contractile machinery of the cell), and a smaller sarcoplasmic reticulum (a calcium storage organelle that releases calcium for contraction). This means that the SA node cells are less equipped to contract compared to the atrial and ventricular cells.

Action potentials pass from one cardiac cell to the next through pores known as gap junctions. These gap junctions are made of proteins called connexins. There are fewer gap junctions within the SA node and they are smaller in size. This is again important in insulating the SA node from the surrounding atrial cells

 

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