Influence of age on inducibility and cholinergic modulation of arrhythmia in isolated rat right atria

The effects of carbachol and atropine on the number of trains (NT) and on the train stimulus strength (SS) necessary to induce arrhythmia were studied in isolated right atria of infant, young, adult and mature rats submitted to electric field stimulation (66.7 Hz, 5 ms pulse-duration, 250 pulses). Carbachol (1 μM) decreased NT from four (control) to two in all ages tested. Atropine (1 μM) prevented tachyarrhythmia induction in tissue of all ages, even with NT equal to 12, except for mature rats (typically four trains). The SS decreases from infant to adult age [5- to 2-fold atrial threshold (AT)] and increases in mature animals (5-fold AT). Carbachol changes this result only for mature rats (5- to 2-fold AT). The SS was decreased by carbachol (1 μM) from 5- to 3-fold AT in mature rats, but atropine did not modify SS in this age. These results indicate that inducibility and cholinergic modulation of atrial tachyarrhythmia is influenced by age.