Integrate and fire model with refractory period for synchronization of two cardiomyocytes

Tatsuya Hayashi; Tetsuji Tokihiro; Hiroki Kurihara; Fumimasa Nomura; Kenji Yasuda

doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.10.008

Integrate and fire model with refractory period for synchronization of two cardiomyocytes

J Theor Biol. 2018 Jan 21:437:141-148. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.10.008. Epub 2017 Oct 13.

Authors

Tatsuya Hayashi¹, Tetsuji Tokihiro², Hiroki Kurihara³, Fumimasa Nomura⁴, Kenji Yasuda⁵

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba Meguro-ku Tokyo 153-8914, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan.
² Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba Meguro-ku Tokyo 153-8914, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan. Electronic address: toki@ms.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
³ Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Information, Division of Biosystems, 2-3-10 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-0062, Japan.
⁵ Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan.

PMID: 29030213
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.10.008

Abstract

We investigate an integrate and fire model for two cardiomyocytes interacting with each other. A feature of the model is to incorporate the refractory periods of the cardiomyocytes as well as the influence of firing of adjacent cells. The present model predicts that, if refractory periods of the two cells are nearly equal, the beating rhythms of the two cells always synchronize and their beating rate is tuned to the faster rate between the two cells. On the other hand, if their refractory periods significantly differ, they exhibit various kinds of harmonious beating rhythms. These results successfully explain the well known characteristics of synchronized beating of cultured cardiomyocytes. We also discuss effects of a delay time of cell-to-cell interaction, that gives further complicated phase diagrams for the beating rhythms.

Keywords: Cardiac muscle cell; Integrate-and-fire model; Phase model; Reflective period; Synchronization.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Algorithms*
Animals
Cell Communication / physiology*
Cell Cycle / physiology
Cell Physiological Phenomena / physiology
Cells, Cultured
Models, Cardiovascular*
Myocytes, Cardiac / cytology
Myocytes, Cardiac / physiology*
Time Factors