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Stability and Oscillations in a Ventricular Cardiomyocyte Model Studied Using the Tools of Dynamic Systems Analysis and Bifurcation Theory

Marin Popescu, Gheorghe Nistor, Adelina Georgescu, Alexandru Dan Corlan, Bogdan Amuzescu, C. Barbu, Maria Luiza Flonta,

Biophysical Journal 96:664a-664a, 2009

ABSTRACT

Although ventricular fibers of the working myocardium in vivo or in vitro do not feature pacemaker activity in normal conditions getting depolarized and contracting only upon receiving current input from the surroundings in certain pathological states they become prone to generate sustained oscillations. These arrhythmogenic foci (accelerated idioventricular rhythm) may quickly progress to life-threatening arrhythmias. In order to get an insight into the mechanisms underlying these rhythm disturbances we studied the dynamics and bifurcation behavior of a simple mathematical model of ventricular cardiomyocyte the Luo-Rudy I model using numerical and analytical methods as described by Kurata et al. For different configurations of parameters and initial conditions we found equilibrium points (states where the field of variables vector vanishes). These were further used to compute the eigenvalue vector of the linearized system of differential equations at various values of stimulus current (Istim) in the range of -5 to +5 uA/uF. Doubling the time-dependent potassium conductance (gkt) resulted in sustained self-oscillations in a narrow interval of Istim: (-0.7+0.3) uA/uF for a reversal potential of the background current eb=0 mV and (-3.0-2.1) uA/uF for the default value eb=-59.87 mV while for normal gkt the system reached stable equilibrium over the entire Istim range with either of the eb values tested.

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