Mouse electrocardiography: an interval of thirty years

The interest in mouse electrophysiology is expanding fast, despite the marked differences between mouse and man. Different methods have become available to analyse the electrical activity in the mouse heart in vivo. The mouse genome can be altered with relative ease, which allows the molecular dissection of the various components that contribute to de- and repolarisation of the cardiomyocyte and the initiation and propagation of cardiac arrhythmias. Mouse ischaemia reperfusion models have been used recently to study preventive measures against ischaemic myocyte damage. In the present review, the electrophysiological measurements performed in mice to date are discussed and complemented with results from a mouse ischaemia reperfusion model.