Mechanical interaction of heterogeneous cardiac muscle segments in silico: Effects on Ca2+ handling and action potential
Solovyova O., Vikulova N., Katsnelson LB., Markhasin VS., Noble PJ., Garny A., Kohl P., Noble D.
The effects of mechanical heterogeneity on action potential duration (APD) in mechanically interacting cardiac muscle regions were studied. The consequent effects on the dispersion of repolarization, a determinant of cardiac arrhythmogenesis, were also discussed. A mathematical description of ventricular electromechanical activity was used to assess the effects. In spite of identical electrophysiological model descriptions in virtual muscle samples, faster muscle models show shorter APD than their slower counterparts. Moreover, the normal electrical activation sequence in the heart required matching mechanical and electrical heterogeneity for optimal cardiac performance.