How do pacemaker cells generate a rhythmic action potential? What makes them autorhythmic?

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How do pacemaker cells generate a rhythmic action potential?What makes them autorhythmic?

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aCells within the sinoatrial SA node are the primary pacemaker site within the heart These cells are characterized as having no true resting potential but instead generate regular spontaneous action potentials Unlike nonpacemaker action potentials in the heart and most other cells that elicit action potentials eg nerve cells muscle cells the depolarizing current is carried into the cell primarily by relatively slow Ca currents instead of by fast Na currents There are in fact no fast Na channels and currents operating in SA nodal cells This results in slower action potentials in terms of how rapidly they depolarize Therefore these pacemaker action potentials are sometimes referred to as slow response action potentials SA nodal action potentials are divided into three phases 1Phase 4The spontaneous depolarization pacemaker potential that See Answer

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