Electrical Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation

Electrical remodeling refers to any change in electrical function that promotes atrial fibrillation (AF). A key advance in understanding the mechanisms of AF has been the identification of ion channels, gap junctions and regulators of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis as the molecular determinants of abnormal atrial electrical activity, and how these are modified in AF. This review focuses on the cellular and molecular basis of altered electrical properties of the atria in AF, with the goal of providing new insights into the potential molecular mechanisms and the identification of putative targets for antiarrhythmic therapy.ZusammenfassungElektrisches Remodeling fasst alle Änderungen der elektrischen Eigenschaften des Vorhofs, die das Auftreten von Vorhofflimmern erleichtern, zusammen. Durch Fortschritte bei der Aufklärung der zugrundeliegenden Mechanismen von Vorhofflimmern konnten die veränderte Funktion von Ionenkanälen und die gestörte Regulation der Ca2+-Homöostase als molekulare Grundlagen des Vorhofflimmerns nachgewiesen werden. Diese Übersicht fasst die zelluläre und molekulare Basis der veränderten elektrischen Eigenschaften des Vorhofs zusammen, mit dem Ziel, neue Angriffspunkte für eine optimierte Behandlung von Vorhofflimmern aufzuzeigen.

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