title: Physiology in phylogeny: modeling of mechanical driving forces in cardiac development.
abstract: This article explores the heart phylogeny, the development of the heart from embryonic to adult shape. For the shape change from tubular to four-chamber to be initiated, a mechanical twist needs to be present in the embryonic heart tube. The helical shape of the muscle fibers in the embryonic heart is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the transformation to occur. It is also necessary for the excitation pattern to be in the form of a spatiotemporal wave. Such a combination, while producing twist, does not negatively impact the heart's ability to work as a pump.
authors.affiliation: California Institute of Technology-Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grosberg
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gharib
mesh_terms: D047108:Embryonic Development; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D010802:Phylogeny; D013318:Stroke Volume