Electrical remodeling in atrial fibrillation.

Electrical remodeling refers to any change in electrical function that promotes atrial fibrillation (AF). A key advance in understanding the mechanisms of AF has been the identification of ion channels, gap junctions and regulators of intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis as the molecular determinants of abnormal atrial electrical activity, and how these are modified in AF. This review focuses on the cellular and molecular basis of altered electrical properties of the atria in AF, with the goal of providing new insights into the potential molecular mechanisms and the identification of putative targets for antiarrhythmic therapy.