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Caltech scientists show function of helical band in heart
Date:12/1/2008

the tissue level. "We tagged and traced small tissue elements in the heart, and looked at them in space, so we could see how they moved when the heart contracts," Gharib explains. "In this way, we were able to see where the maximum physical contraction occurs in the heart and when--and to show that it follows this intriguing helical loop."

With each beat of the heart, a wave of contraction starts at the heart's apex--which, despite its name, is actually at the very bottom of the heart--and then travels up through the myocardium. "The only time the whole helix shows up in the images is at the end of systole, which is when the heart is contracting," says Gharib. "This simple band structure is akin to an engine behind the heart pumping action."

In addition to going a long way toward settling the decades-long structure/function debate surrounding Torrent-Guasp's work, this finding also has major implications for the surgical treatment of heart disease, Gharib says. "It's going to change the way we repair the heart," he explains. Knowing that the contractile wave travels along the helical pathway--instead of occurring throughout the heart all at once--has implications for which parts of the heart will be most vulnerable to a surgeon's scalpel, for instance. "Seventy-five percent of the function of the heart depends on this muscle," Gharib says. "Surgeons now know what to cut and what not to cut. This will help them to come up with new and more effective surgical procedures."


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Contact: Lori Oliwenstein
lorio@caltech.edu
626-395-3631
California Institute of Technology
Source:Eurekalert

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