Optical stimulation enables paced electrophysiological studies in embryonic hearts.
Cardiac electrophysiology plays a critical role in the development and function of the heart. Studies of early embryonic electrical activity have lacked a viable point stimulation technique to pace in vitro samples. Here, optical pacing by high-precision infrared stimulation is used to pace excised embryonic hearts, allowing electrophysiological parameters to be quantified during pacing at varying rates with optical mapping. Combined optical pacing and optical mapping enables electrophysiological studies in embryos under more physiological conditions and at varying heart rates, allowing detection of abnormal conduction and comparisons between normal and pathological electrical activity during development in various models.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA.
Yves T
YT
Wang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA.
Shi
S
Gu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA.
Pei
P
Ma
Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA.
Michiko
M
Watanabe
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA.
Andrew M
AM
Rollins
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44120, USA.
Michael W
MW
Jenkins
(120.3890) Medical optics instrumentation; (140.3460) Lasers; (140.6810) Thermal effects; (170.2520) Fluorescence microscopy