Author(s) :

Rishabh Chakraborty.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The fight-or-flight response triggers rapid-acting cardiac effects to enhance survival by increasing heart rate and contractility. These effects arise from adrenaline’s effect on calcium ion channels and preexisting electrical signaling in cardiac muscle. Literature exploring the adrenergic pathway is well-established, as it includes the discovery of the funny current in 1979 and the “calcium clock,” both of which are altered contractile mechanisms in the myocardium that play a key role in the heart’s automaticity, as well as the expanding knowledge of adrenaline’s several molecular pathways in cardiac tissue in modern literature. Modern clinical applications of adrenaline include heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation and genetic arrhythmias like Long QT Syndrome, of which adrenaline is a major trigger. Major therapies for these cases, such as beta-blockers or Ivabradine, are widely used in modern medicine and relate to adrenaline’s cardiac pathway. Ultimately, this review aims to consolidate the extensive history of cardiac-adrenergic signaling in literature to further potential usage of signaling-related therapies in a clinical setting for treatment of adrenaline-related heart conditions.