Atrial myocardium

The **atrial myocardium** refers to the specialized muscular tissue forming the walls of the left and right atria of the heart. It is composed primarily of cardiomyocytes that are structurally and functionally distinct from those in ventricular myocardium. The primary functions include generating contractile force to move blood from the atria into the ventricles, participating in electrical conduction as part of normal cardiac rhythm, and contributing to neurohumoral signaling[2][4]. The gene expression profile of atrial myocytes differs significantly from ventricular myocytes, with unique patterns related to neurohumoral activity and a higher susceptibility to apoptosis and extracellular matrix remodeling[2]. Atrial myocardium is not a single molecular target such as a receptor or enzyme but rather an anatomical region made up of many cell types and molecular targets. It plays a central role in diseases such as **atrial fibrillation**, where structural changes like fibrosis or dedifferentiation can create substrates for arrhythmias[4][5]. While drugs may act on ion channels or signaling pathways within this tissue (e.g., antiarrhythmic agents), "atrial myocardium" itself is not considered a canonical therapeutic target but rather an organ-level substrate affected by various interventions[1][5]. **Note:** This entry is marked as *incorrect* for use as a drug target because "atrial myocardium" describes an anatomical structure/tissue rather than a specific molecule or receptor suitable for direct pharmacological targeting. For structured data purposes, more precise molecular targets within this tissue—such as specific ion channels (e.g., sodium channel protein type 5 subunit alpha), receptors, or signaling molecules—should be identified instead.

Other names

Atrial muscleMyocardium of atriaAtrial cardiac muscle