TY - JOUR
T1 - Syncytial basis for diversity in spike shapes and their propagation in detrusor smooth muscle
AU - Appukuttan, Shailesh
AU - Brain, Keith
AU - Manchanda, Rohit
PY - 2015/6/1
Y1 - 2015/6/1
N2 - Syncytial tissues, such as the smooth muscle of the urinary bladder wall, are known to produce action potentials (spikes) with marked differences in their shapes and sizes. The need for this diversity is currently unknown, and neither is their origin understood. The small size of the cells, their syncytial arrangement, and the complex nature of innervation poses significant challenges for the experimental investigation of such tissues. To obtain better insight, we present here a three-dimensional electrical model of smooth muscle syncytium, developed using the compartmental modeling technique, with each cell possessing active channel mechanisms capable of producing an action potential. This enables investigation of the syncytial effect on action potential shapes and their propagation. We show how a single spike shape could undergo modulation, resulting in diverse shapes, owing to the syncytial nature of the tissue. Differences in the action potential features could impact their capacity to propagate through a syncytium. This is illustrated through comparison of two distinct action potential mechanisms. A better understanding of the origin of the various spike shapes would have significant implications in pathology, assisting in evaluating the underlying cause and directing their treatment.
AB - Syncytial tissues, such as the smooth muscle of the urinary bladder wall, are known to produce action potentials (spikes) with marked differences in their shapes and sizes. The need for this diversity is currently unknown, and neither is their origin understood. The small size of the cells, their syncytial arrangement, and the complex nature of innervation poses significant challenges for the experimental investigation of such tissues. To obtain better insight, we present here a three-dimensional electrical model of smooth muscle syncytium, developed using the compartmental modeling technique, with each cell possessing active channel mechanisms capable of producing an action potential. This enables investigation of the syncytial effect on action potential shapes and their propagation. We show how a single spike shape could undergo modulation, resulting in diverse shapes, owing to the syncytial nature of the tissue. Differences in the action potential features could impact their capacity to propagate through a syncytium. This is illustrated through comparison of two distinct action potential mechanisms. A better understanding of the origin of the various spike shapes would have significant implications in pathology, assisting in evaluating the underlying cause and directing their treatment.
U2 - 10.1016/j.procs.2015.05.199
DO - 10.1016/j.procs.2015.05.199
M3 - Article
SN - 1877-0509
VL - 51
SP - 785
EP - 794
JO - Procedia Computer Science
JF - Procedia Computer Science
T2 - International Conference On Computational Science, ICCS 2015 — Computational Science at the Gates of Nature
Y2 - 1 June 2015 through 3 June 2015
ER -