Multi-scale approaches for the simulation of cardiac electrophysiology: I - Sub-cellular and stochastic calcium dynamics from cell to organ

Abstract

Computational models of the heart at multiple spatial scales, from sub-cellular nanodomains to the whole-organ, are a powerful tool for the simulation of cardiac electrophysiology. Application of these models has provided remarkable insight into the normal and pathological functioning of the heart. In these two articles, we present methods for modelling cardiac electrophysiology at all of these spatial scales. In part one, presented here, we discuss methods and approaches for modelling sub-cellular calcium dynamics at the whole-cell and organ scales, valuable for modelling excitation-contraction coupling and mechanisms of arrhythmia triggers.

Keywords: Action potential; Calcium handling; Cardiac tissue; Computational modelling; Electrophysiology; Excitation–contraction coupling; Propagation; Spontaneous activity.