Ionic-heterogeneity-induced spiral- and scroll-wave turbulence in mathematical models of cardiac tissue

TL;DR

This study investigates how spatial heterogeneity in cardiac tissue's electrical properties influences the stability of reentrant waves, revealing mechanisms behind spiral- and scroll-wave turbulence through extensive simulations.

Contribution

The paper introduces spatial heterogeneity into cardiac models and elucidates the mechanism of wave instability caused by electrical property gradients.

Findings

Heterogeneity induces spiral- and scroll-wave turbulence.

Anisotropic wavelength thinning leads to wave instability.

Mechanism explained through numerical simulations.

Abstract

Spatial variations in the electrical properties of cardiac tissue can occur because of cardiac diseases. We introduce such gradients into mathematical models for cardiac tissue and then study, by extensive numerical simulations, their effects on reentrant electrical waves and their stability in both two and three dimensions. We explain the mechanism of spiral- and scroll-wave instability, which entails anisotropic thinning in the wavelength of the waves because of anisotropic variation in its electrical properties.