Bifurcation Analysis on a Generation of Early Afterdepolarization in a Mathematical Cardiac Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 2150179
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Kitajima ◽  
Toru Yazawa

Electrical activity occurs in the cell membrane of cardiomyocytes. This electrical activity forms the action potential that generates pumping of the heart. An abnormality in the action potential turns into arrhythmia, which may cause sudden death. Studies of arrhythmias using mathematical models are important to reduce the risk of sudden death. In this study, we investigate bifurcations related to the generation of early afterdepolarizations (EADs) in a mathematical model. We clarify the transition process from a normal state to a persistent EAD through a transient EAD while changing only one parameter (multiple of conductance of L-type calcium channel current) value. The dependence of the transient EAD generation on parameters is shown through bifurcation analysis in a [Na]i-parameterized system.

2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (2) ◽  
pp. H535-H545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fagen Xie ◽  
Zhilin Qu ◽  
Alan Garfinkel ◽  
James N. Weiss

Generation of wave break is a characteristic feature of cardiac fibrillation. In this study, we investigated how dynamic factors and fixed electrophysiological heterogeneity interact to promote wave break in simulated two-dimensional cardiac tissue, by using the Luo-Rudy (LR1) ventricular action potential model. The degree of dynamic instability of the action potential model was controlled by varying the maximal amplitude of the slow inward Ca2+ current to produce spiral waves in homogeneous tissue that were either nearly stable, meandering, hypermeandering, or in breakup regimes. Fixed electrophysiological heterogeneity was modeled by randomly varying action potential duration over different spatial scales to create dispersion of refractoriness. We found that the degree of dispersion of refractoriness required to induce wave break decreased markedly as dynamic instability of the cardiac model increased. These findings suggest that reducing the dynamic instability of cardiac cells by interventions, such as decreasing the steepness of action potential duration restitution, may still have merit as an antifibrillatory strategy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 313 (4) ◽  
pp. H810-H827 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Kofron ◽  
T. Y. Kim ◽  
M. E. King ◽  
A. Xie ◽  
F. Feng ◽  
...  

Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are known to regulate cardiomyocyte (CM) function in vivo and in two-dimensional in vitro cultures. This study examined the effect of CF activation on the regulation of CM electrical activity in a three-dimensional (3-D) microtissue environment. Using a scaffold-free 3-D platform with interspersed neonatal rat ventricular CMs and CFs, Gq-mediated signaling was selectively enhanced in CFs by Gαq adenoviral infection before coseeding with CMs in nonadhesive hydrogels. After 3 days, the microtissues were analyzed by signaling assay, histological staining, quantitative PCR, Western blots, optical mapping with voltage- or Ca2+-sensitive dyes, and microelectrode recordings of CF resting membrane potential (RMPCF). Enhanced Gq signaling in CFs increased microtissue size and profibrotic and prohypertrophic markers. Expression of constitutively active Gαq in CFs prolonged CM action potential duration (by 33%) and rise time (by 31%), prolonged Ca2+ transient duration (by 98%) and rise time (by 65%), and caused abnormal electrical activity based on depolarization-induced automaticity. Constitutive Gq activation in CFs also depolarized RMPCF from –33 to −20 mV and increased connexin 43 and connexin 45 expression. Computational modeling confers that elevated RMPCF and increased cell-cell coupling between CMs and CFs in a 3-D environment could lead to automaticity. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that CF activation alone is capable of altering action potential and Ca2+ transient characteristics of CMs, leading to proarrhythmic electrical activity. Our results also emphasize the importance of a 3-D environment where cell-cell interactions are prevalent, underscoring that CF activation in 3-D tissue plays a significant role in modulating CM electrophysiology and arrhythmias. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In a three-dimensional microtissue model, which lowers baseline activation of cardiac fibroblasts but enables cell-cell, paracrine, and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, we demonstrate that selective cardiac fibroblast activation by enhanced Gq signaling, a pathophysiological trigger in the diseased heart, modulates cardiomyocyte electrical activity, leading to proarrhythmogenic automaticity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
pp. 620-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru-xing Wang ◽  
Wen-ping Jiang

To investigate the effects of S- and R-amlodipine (Aml) on action potential (AP) and L-type calcium channel current (ICa-L), the whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used on rat ventricular myocytes to record AP, ICa-L, peak currents, steady-state activation currents, steady-state inactivation currents, and recovery currents from inactivation with S-Aml and R-Aml at various concentrations. Increasing concentrations of S-Aml gradually shortened AP durations (APDs). At concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 μmol/L, S-Aml blocked 1.5% ± 0.2%, 25.4% ± 5.3%, 65.2% ± 7.3%, 78.4% ± 8.1%, and 94.2% ± 5.0% of ICa-L, respectively (p < 0.05), and the half-inhibited concentration was 0.62 ± 0.12 µmol/L. Current–voltage curves were shifted upward; steady-state activation and inactivation curves were shifted to the left. At these concentrations of S-Aml, the half-activation voltages were –16.01 ± 1.65, –17.61 ± 1.60, –20.17 ± 1.46, –21.87 ± 1.69, and –24.09 ± 1.87 mV, respectively, and the slope factors were increased (p < 0.05). The half-inactivation voltages were –27.16 ± 4.48, –28.69 ± 4.52, –31.19 ± 4.17, –32.63 ± 4.34, and –35.16 ± 4.46 mV, respectively, and the slope factors were increased (p < 0.05). The recovery times from inactivation of S-Aml were prolonged (p < 0.05). In contrast, R-Aml had no effect on AP and ICa-L (p > 0.05) at the concentrations tested. Thus, only S-Aml has calcium channel blockade activity, whereas R-Aml has none of the pharmacologic actions associated with calcium channel blockers.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (11) ◽  
pp. R823-R836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Lin ◽  
Amanda Ribeiro ◽  
Weiguang Ding ◽  
Leif Hove-Madsen ◽  
Marinko V. Sarunic ◽  
...  

The zebrafish ( Danio rerio) has emerged as an important model for developmental cardiovascular (CV) biology; however, little is known about the cardiac function of the adult zebrafish enabling it to be used as a model of teleost CV biology. Here, we describe electrophysiological parameters, such as heart rate (HR), action potential duration (APD), and atrioventricular (AV) delay, in the zebrafish heart over a range of physiological temperatures (18–28°C). Hearts were isolated and incubated in a potentiometric dye, RH-237, enabling electrical activity assessment in several distinct regions of the heart simultaneously. Integration of a rapid thermoelectric cooling system facilitated the investigation of acute changes in temperature on critical electrophysiological parameters in the zebrafish heart. While intrinsic HR varied considerably between fish, the ex vivo preparation exhibited impressively stable HRs and sinus rhythm for more than 5 h, with a mean HR of 158 ± 9 bpm (means ± SE; n = 20) at 28°C. Atrial and ventricular APDs at 50% repolarization (APD50) were 33 ± 1 ms and 98 ± 2 ms, respectively. Excitation originated in the atrium, and there was an AV delay of 61 ± 3 ms prior to activation of the ventricle at 28°C. APD and AV delay varied between hearts beating at unique HRs; however, APD and AV delay did not appear to be statistically dependent on intrinsic basal HR, likely due to the innate beat-to-beat variability within each heart. As hearts were cooled to 18°C (by 1°C increments), HR decreased by ∼40%, and atrial and ventricular APD50 increased by a factor of ∼3 and 2, respectively. The increase in APD with cooling was disproportionate at different levels of repolarization, indicating unique temperature sensitivities for ion currents at different phases of the action potential. The effect of temperature was more apparent at lower levels of repolarization and, as a whole, the atrial APD was the cardiac parameter most affected by acute temperature change. In conclusion, this study describes a preparation enabling the in-depth analysis of transmembrane potential dynamics in whole zebrafish hearts. Because the zebrafish offers some critical advantages over the murine model for cardiac electrophysiology, optical mapping studies utilizing zebrafish offer insightful information into the understanding and treatment of human cardiac arrhythmias, as well as serving as a model for other teleosts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heqing Zhan ◽  
Jingtao Zhang ◽  
Jialun Lin ◽  
Guilai Han

Fibrotic remodeling, characterized by fibroblast phenotype switching, is often associated with atrial fibrillation and heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the effects on electrotonic myofibroblast-myocyte (Mfb-M) coupling on cardiac myocytes excitability and repolarization of the voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and single mechanogated channels (MGCs) in human atrial Mfbs. Mathematical modeling was developed from a combination of (1) models of the human atrial myocyte (including the stretch activated ion channel current,ISAC) and Mfb and (2) our formulation of currents through VGSCs (INa_Mfb) and MGCs (IMGC_Mfb) based upon experimental findings. The effects of changes in the intercellular coupling conductance, the number of coupled Mfbs, and the basic cycle length on the myocyte action potential were simulated. The results demonstrated that the integration ofISAC,INa_Mfb, andIMGC_Mfbreduced the amplitude of the myocyte membrane potential(Vmax)and the action potential duration (APD), increased the depolarization of the resting myocyte membrane potential(Vrest), and made it easy to trigger spontaneous excitement in myocytes. For Mfbs, significant electrotonic depolarizations were exhibited with the addition ofINa_MfbandIMGC_Mfb. Our results indicated thatISAC,INa_Mfb, andIMGC_Mfbsignificantly influenced myocytes and Mfbs properties and should be considered in future cardiac pathological mathematical modeling.


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