Advancing Our Understanding of the Cardiac Conduction System to Prevent Arrhythmias

The cardiac conduction system, particularly the His-Purkinje System (HPS), plays a crucial role in the rapid electrical activation of the heart. This intricate network, embedded within the myocardium yet electrically insulated from it, is essential for maintaining normal heart rhythm. However, under certain pathological conditions, the HPS has been identified as a potential source of arrhythmias, either through ectopic activity or by forming part of a reentrant circuit. Despite its significance, many fundamental aspects of the HPS remain poorly understood, such as its coupling mechanism with the myocardium to overcome the source-sink mismatch, its detailed physical structure, and the electrophysiological differences between the HPS and the working myocardium. Recent studies have begun to unravel these complexities, yet significant gaps persist, necessitating further investigation to fully comprehend the HPS's role in both normal and pathological cardiac function.

This Research Topic aims to enhance our understanding of the His-Purkinje System's functioning and structure to develop effective treatment strategies for arrhythmias originating within or influenced by the HPS. The objectives include elucidating the HPS's impact on normal ventricular conduction, understanding its structural organization from cellular to network levels, and exploring specific strategies to prevent cardiac arrhythmias, particularly ventricular fibrillation. By integrating data from various spatial scales and employing diverse techniques, the research seeks to construct a comprehensive vision of the HPS.

To gather further insights into the complexities of the His-Purkinje System, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Intracellular processes and their impact on HPS function;
- Junctional behavior and its role in network activation;
- Structural analysis and its relationship to HPS function;
- Antiarrhythmic treatments targeting the HPS, including ablative, pharmacological, device, and genetic approaches;
- Computational, basic science, or clinical studies providing mechanistic insights into the HPS;
- The role of the HPS in normal and pathological conditions.

Topic Editor Dr. Edward Joseph Vigmond is a co-founder of Numericor GmbH, a private company which performs cardiac simulations and licenses simulation software. Both Dr. Vigmond and Dr. Jason D Bayer declare no conflict of interest with regard to the Research Topic subject.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: cardiac conduction system, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac ectopy, cardiac reentrant mechanisms, antiarrhythmic therapy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.