The molecular labyrinth of electrical remodeling: making sense of cardiac memory.

摘要

The heart is a dynamic organ capable of adapting (remodeling) itself to changing environmental circumstances. Remodeling can be normal or pathologic, depending on the nature of the stimulus. For example, extensive exercise induces physiologic growth of the heart, whereas pathologic hypertrophy may be initiated by hypertension, myocardial injury, or intrinsic defects in contractile components and, upon continued stress, eventually culminate in heart failure.1 Pathologic (irreversible) remodeling comprises changes in structural, contractile, and electrical parameters and increases the susceptibility of the heart to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.