Well, since Heart Day was yesterday let's take a look at our heart electrical activity ;)
The heart is, in the simplest terms, a pump made up of muscle tissue. Like all muscle, the heart requires a source of energy and oxygen in order to function.
The heart has a natural pacemaker that regulates the pace or rate of the heart. It sits in the upper portion of the right atrium (RA) and is a collection of specializes electrical cells known as the SINUS or SINO-ATRIAL (SA) node.
Like the spark-plug of an automobile it generates a number of "sparks" per minute. Each "spark" travels across a specialized electrical pathway and stimulates the muscle wall of the four chambers of the heart to contract (and thus empty) in a certain sequence or pattern. The upper chambers or atria are first stimulated. This is followed by a slight delay to allow the two atria to empty. Finally, the two ventricles are electrically stimulated.
In an automobile, the number of sparks per minute generated by a spark plug is increased when you press the gas pedal or accelerator. This revs up the motor. In case of the heart, adrenaline acts as a gas pedal and causes the sinus node to increase the number of sparks per minute, which in turn increases the heart rate. The release of adrenaline is controlled by the nervous system. The heart normally beats at around 72 times per minute and the sinus node speeds up during exertion, emotional stress, fever, etc., or whenever our body needs an extra boost of blood supply. In contrast, it and slows down during rest or under the influence of certain medications. Well trained athletes also tend to have a slower heart beat.
Read & Learn:http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/cardiovascular_diseases/anatomy_and_function_of_the_hearts_electrical_system_85,P00214/
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/electrical_system_of_the_heart-health/article_em.htm
http://www.heartsite.com/html/electrical_activity.html
Watch:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0V0ACBydpc
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