Question

What is the difference between a beating pacemaker cell and a bursting pacemaker cell?

Answer 1

A beating pacemaker cell is nothing but the natural pacemaker cells involved in the generation of regular sinus rhythm of the heart. These are the cardiac pacemaker cells. Bursting pacemaker cell, on the other hand, refers to any pacemaker cell that can generate a pacemaker activity through action potential "bursts". These cells have the ability to generate rhythmic bursts that emerge through the voltage and time-dependent ion fluxes called drive potentials. These can be pancreatic beta cells, gut cells, oocytes, and even cardiac myocytes.