" ... Here we explore the possible processes leading to the occasional onset and termination of the (usually) non-fatal arrhythmias widely observed in the heart. Using a computational model of a two-dimensional network of cardiac cells, we tested the hypothesis that an ischemia alters the properties of the gap junctions inside the ischemic area. ... In conclusion, our model strongly supports the hypothesis that non-fatal arrhythmias can develop from post-ischemic alteration of the electrical connectivity in a relatively small area of the cardiac cell network, and suggests experimentally testable predictions on their possible treatments."
Model Type: Realistic Network; Neuron or other electrically excitable cell
Cell Type(s): Cardiac ventricular cell
Currents: I K; I Sodium; I Calcium; I Potassium
Model Concept(s): Spatio-temporal Activity Patterns; Detailed Neuronal Models; Action Potentials; Heart disease; Conductance distributions
Simulation Environment: NEURON
Implementer(s): Hines, Michael [Michael.Hines at Yale.edu]; Migliore, Michele [Michele.Migliore at Yale.edu]
References:
Casaleggio A, Hines ML, Migliore M. (2014). Computational model of erratic arrhythmias in a cardiac cell network: the role of gap junctions. PloS one. 9 [PubMed]