Electrical Pacing of Cardiac Tissue Including Potassium Inward Rectification.

ABSTRACT: In this study cardiac tissue is stimulated electrically through a small unipolar electrode. Numerical simulations predict that around an electrode are adjacent regions of depolarization and hyperpolarization. Experiments have shown that during pacing of resting cardiac tissue the hyperpolarization is often inhibited. Our goal is to determine if the inward rectifying potassium current (IK1) causes the inhibition of hyperpolarization. Numerical simulations were carried out using the bidomain model with potassium dynamics specified to be inward rectifying. In the simulations, adjacent regions of depolarization and hyperpolarization were observed surrounding the electrode. For cathodal currents the virtual anode produces a hyperpolarization that decreases over time. For long duration pulses th

SUBMITTER: Galappaththige S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4461281 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature