Role of Connexin 40 in Male Predisposition to Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Although men are twice as likely to suffer from AF as women do, the mechanisms leading to the male higher AF vulnerability remain unknown. We hypothesize that androgens regulate atrial electrical activity and contribute to the sex difference in AF. Accordingly, here we aim to identify sex differences in electrophysiological and structural AF substrates and to explore the contribution of androgens in these differences.