Lesson plan
Pacemaker current
The pacemaker current (I f , or I Kf , also called funny current) is an electric current in the heart that flows through the HCN channel or pacemaker channel. Such channels are important parts of the electrical conduction system of the heart and form a component of the natural pacemaker. First described in the late 1970s in Purkinje fibers and sinoatrial myocytes, the cardiac pacemaker "funny" (I f ) current has been extensively characterized and its role in cardiac pacemaking has been investigated. Among the unusual features which justified the name "funny" are mixed Na + and K + permeability, activation on hyperpolarization, and very slow kinetics.
Article summary
The pacemaker current (I f , or I Kf , also called funny current) is an electric current in the heart that flows through the HCN channel or pacemaker channel. Such channels are important parts of the electrical conduction system of the heart and form a component of the natural pacemaker. First described in the late 1970s in Purkinje fibers and sinoatrial myocytes, the cardiac pacemaker "funny" (I f ) current has been extensively characterized and its role in cardiac pacemaking has been investigated. Among the unusual features which justified the name "funny" are mixed Na + and K + permeability, activation on hyperpolarization, and very slow kinetics.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.