Heart rate node, where the faster pacemaker cells driving the self-generated rhythmic firing and responsible for the heart's autorhythmicity are located. For endurance athletes at the elite level, it is not unusual to have a resting heart rate between 33 and 50 bpm. The "maximum heart rate" (HR) is the highest heart rate an individual can achieve without severe problems through exercise stress, and generally decreases with age. Since HR varies by individual, the most accurate way of measuring any single person's HR is via a cardiac stress test. In this test, a person is subjected to controlled physiologic stress (generally by
Cardiac excitation-contraction coupling In the SAN cAMP binds to an ion channel involved in action potential initiation, speeding up the production of the action potential (see sinoatrial node for more detail). cAMP also, activates a protein called protein kinase A (PKA). PKA affects both the DHPR and RyR, increasing the rise in Ca within the contractile cells and therefore increasing rate of muscle contraction. PKA also affects the myofilaments as well as a protein called phospholamban (PLB; see sarcoplasmic reticulum for more details), speeding up the rate of Cadecline in the cell and so speeding up muscle relaxation. Parasympathetic nerves work by releasing