Peilu Gan

997543163

Jan. 24th, 2014

BIOC34 Assignment 1
PhysioEx Lab 6 (Cardiovascular Physiology)

Activity 1: Investigating the Refractory Period of Cardiac Muscle

When electrical stimulus was applied to the heart, a doublet (two ventricular peaks extremely close together) was seen in the oscilloscope, followed by a period of about 2 seconds of compensatory pause. This doublet peak contained an extrasystole, which is an extra contraction of the ventricle. The following pause was to allow the heart to get back to a normal cardiac rhythm. Question: The larger waves on the oscilloscope represent ventricular contraction, because ventricular contraction is significantly stronger than any atrial contractions.

Activity 2: Examining the Effect of Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Once the vagus nerve was stimulated, the heart rate slowed to a stop, before eventually restarting, and matching the rhythm of the electrical stimulus, likely due to vagal escape, caused by the purkinje fibers increases heart rate and blood pressure. Question: In an isolated heart, no sympathetic nervous system exists, meaning that only purkinje fibers are firing to activate the vagal escape mechanism. In a non-isolated heart, the sympathetic nervous system would also be able to act on the heart to trigger vagal escape, as well as the effect of the purkinje fibers.

Activity 3: Examining the Effects of Temperature on Heart Rate

Solution 23 Ringer Solution 23 Ringer Solution 23 Ringer Solution Heart rate (Beats/min) 59 BPM 49 BPM 69 BPM

Question: 3a) Heart rate would actually increase, as the temperature drops. A decrease in external temperature would cause the body to attempt to maintain homeostasis, therefore increasing metabolism. Heart rate would thus increase to meet the metabolic demand. Question: 3b) Heart rate would decrease, because in an isolated heart, theres no homeostatic regulation, as theres no nerves synapsing to the heart, and thus, no ability to control for temperature. Thus, the heart would only see a decrease in ability to contract, and thus, contract slower.

Activity 4: Examining the Effects of Chemical Modifiers on Heart Rate

Solution Epinephrine Pilocarpine Atropine Digitalis Heart Rate 59 78 44 69 41

Peilu Gan

997543163

Jan. 24th, 2014

Question: 4a) Introducing nicotine into an isolated human heart would result in decrease in heart rate. While nicotine can act as a stimulant, in an isolated heart, it would act to slow heart rate by stimulating the parasympathetic cardiac ganglia. Question: 4b) Introducing nicotine to a live human would result in an overall increase in heart rate. In addition to the effects as an acetylcholine agonist, it also acts to stimulate the release of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla, resulting in an overall increase in heart rate.

Experiment 5: Examining the Effect of Various Ions on Heart Rate

Solution --Calcium Sodium Potassium

Heart Rate
59 69 34 then erratic 28 then erratic

Question: Verapamil acts to block calcium channels, which are primarily found in the smoothe muscles around blood vessels. By introducing a calcium channel blocker, it causes relaxation of the smoothe muscles, which dilates the vessels, causing increased blood flow to the heart, and thus, prevents angina.