MioLab, a rat cardiac contractile force simulator: Applications to teaching cardiac cell physiology and biophysics

Robson Rodrigues da Silva; Marcia Aparecida Silva Bissaco; Daniel Gustavo Goroso

doi:10.1016/j.cmpb.2015.09.012

MioLab, a rat cardiac contractile force simulator: Applications to teaching cardiac cell physiology and biophysics

Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2015 Dec;122(3):480-90. doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2015.09.012. Epub 2015 Sep 21.

Authors

Robson Rodrigues da Silva¹, Marcia Aparecida Silva Bissaco², Daniel Gustavo Goroso³

Affiliations

¹ Research and Technology Center of Mogi das Cruzes University, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil. Electronic address: robson.silva@umc.br.
² Research and Technology Center of Mogi das Cruzes University, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil.
³ Research and Technology Center of Mogi das Cruzes University, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Institute of the Hospital das Clinicas - FMUSP, São Paulo, Brazil.

PMID: 26428599
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2015.09.012

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the basic concepts of physiology and biophysics of cardiac cells can be improved by virtual experiments that illustrate the complex excitation-contraction coupling process in cardiac cells. The aim of this study is to propose a rat cardiac myocyte simulator, with which calcium dynamics in excitation-contraction coupling of an isolated cell can be observed. This model has been used in the course "Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Biological Systems". In this paper we present the didactic utility of the simulator MioLab(®).

Methods: The simulator enables virtual experiments that can help studying inhibitors and activators in the sarcoplasmic reticulum sodium-calcium exchanger, thus corroborating a better understanding of the effects of medications, which are used to treat arrhythmias, on these compartments. The graphical interfaces were developed not only to facilitate the use of the simulator, but also to promote a constructive learning on the subject, since there are animations and videos for each stage of the simulation. The effectiveness of the simulator was tested by a group of graduate students.

Results: Some examples of simulations were presented in order to describe the overall structure of the simulator. Part of these virtual experiments became an activity for Biomedical Engineering graduate students, who evaluated the simulator based on its didactic quality. As a result, students answered a questionnaire on the usability and functionality of the simulator as a teaching tool. All students performed the proposed activities and classified the simulator as an optimal or good learning tool. In their written questions, students indicated as negative characteristics some problems with visualizing graphs; as positive characteristics, they indicated the simulator's didactic function, especially tutorials and videos on the topic of this study.

Conclusions: The results show that the simulator complements the study of the physiology and biophysics of the cardiac cell.

Keywords: Cardiac myocyte; Computer models; Simulator; Teaching; Virtual experiments.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Biophysics*
Computer Simulation*
Myocardial Contraction*
Myocytes, Cardiac / physiology*
Rats
Teaching*
User-Computer Interface