Complex dynamics in coupled cardiac pacemaker cells

Dongming Cai; Ying-Cheng Lai; Raimond L. Winslow

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.2501

Complex dynamics in coupled cardiac pacemaker cells

Dongming Cai, Ying-Cheng Lai, and Raimond L. Winslow

Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 2501 – Published 11 October 1993

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of a model of electrically coupled pacemaking cardiac sino-artial node cells. Cell models are biophysically detailed, and include voltage-dependent membrane currents, pump-exchanger currents, and time-varying internal ion concentration changes similar to those seen in real sino-atrial node cells. It is found that at low, yet physiologically realistic coupling conductance values, complex dynamics including chaos can arise. Occurrence of these complex dynamics in coupled pacemaker cells may provide an explanation for the origin of certain cardiac arrhythmias.

Received 10 May 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.2501

Authors & Affiliations

Dongming Cai, Ying-Cheng Lai, and Raimond L. Winslow

The Biomedical Engineering Program, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
The Army High Performance Computing Research Center, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
The Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
The Department of Computer Science, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21205