Acetylcholinesterase changes in hearts with sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation.

1. Clinical and experimental evidence suggest that changes in the autonomic tone play a role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation. 2. We have studied the distribution of molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in atrial biopsies obtained from individuals without arrhythmias and in patients with atrial fibrillation. 3. Analysis of the distribution of globular and asymmetric AChE forms, showed a decrease in the amount of the globular forms of biopsies taken from atria during fibrillation. 4. This study is the first attempt to characterize the molecular forms of AChE in the human heart of patients with sinus rhythm and chronic atrial fibrillation.