NEURO 661 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Regional Policy Of The European Union, Superior Vena Cava, Coronary Sinus
Document Summary
The heart pumps blood continuously and depends upon rhythmic stimulation of cardiac muscle cells. These events are in uenced by the activity of the autonomic nervous system. Learning objective: identify and locate the components of the heart"s conduction system. Specialized cardiac muscle cells are found within the heart located internal to the endocardium; they are collectively called the heart"s conduction system ( gure 19. 14a). These distinct cardiac cells do not contract, but rather they initiate and conduct electrical signals. The sinoatrial (s n - tr - l) (sa) node is located in the posterior wall of the right atrium, adjacent to the entrance of the superior vena cava. The cells here initiate the heartbeat and are commonly referred to as the pacemaker of the heart. The atrioventricular (av) node is located in the oor of the right atrium between the right av valve and the opening for the coronary sinus.
