Gradients in fibroblast density can destabilize spiral and scroll waves in cardiac tissue by inducing spatial variations in the local wave frequency, potentially leading to wave break-up.
Mathematical modeling shows that gradients in fibroblast density can destabilize electrical waves and induce spiral waves at high-frequency pacing, highlighting a potential mechanism for arrhythmias in fibrotic hearts.
Fibroblast-myocyte coupling can modulate electrical-wave dynamics in cardiac tissue. In diseased hearts, the distribution of fibroblasts is heterogeneous, so there can be gradients in the fibroblast density (henceforth we call this GFD) especially from highly injured regions, like infarcted or ischemic zones, to less-wounded regions of the tissue. Fibrotic hearts are known to be prone to arrhythmias, so it is important to understand the effects of GFD in the formation and sustenance of arrhythmic re-entrant waves, like spiral or scroll waves. Therefore, we investigate the effects of GFD on the stability of spiral and scroll waves of electrical activation in a state-of-the-art mathematical model for cardiac tissue in which we also include fibroblasts. By introducing GFDin controlled ways, we show that spiral and scroll waves can be unstable in the presence of GFDs because of regions with varying spiral-or scroll-wave frequency., induced by the GFD. We examine the effects of the resting membrane potential of the fibroblast and the number of fibroblasts attached to the myocytes on the stability of these waves. Finally, we show that the presence of GFDs can lead to the formation of spiral waves at high-frequency pacing.
Zimik et al. (Mon,) conducted a other in Cardiac arrhythmias. Gradient in fibroblast density (GFD) vs. Uniform fibroblast density was evaluated on Stability of spiral and scroll waves. Gradients in fibroblast density can destabilize spiral and scroll waves in cardiac tissue by inducing spatial variations in the local wave frequency, potentially leading to wave break-up.