An analysis of the electrical properties of a skeletal muscle fiber containing a helicoidal T system

Abstract

The linear electrical properties of skeletal muscle fibers have been analyzed using lumped circuit analogues of helicoidal T system. The geometry of a helicoid is assumed to produce two electrical effects, modeled separately. One model is motivated by the pitch or tilt of the T system, which forces the current flowing in the lumen of the tubules to have a longitudinal projection. The second model is motivated by the longitudinal continuity of a helicoid, which forms a structure similar to a cable within the fiber. The pitch or tilting of the T system plane modified the longitudinal resistance of the fiber, making it slightly frequency dependent; however, the magnitude of the change was less than 0.1%. The longitudinal connections between T system networks had a more complicated effect; the magnitude of the correction was again less than 0.1%. The conclusion from this analysis is that a helicoidal T system, whose pitch is constrained by the sarcomere spacing, will not affect electrical signals recorded intracellularly in intact fibers.