Scroll waves in 3D virtual human atria: a computational study

  • Authors:

  • Sanjay Kharche;Gunnar Seemann;Joanna Leng;Arun V. Holden;Clifford J. Garratt;Henggui Zhang

  • Affiliations:

  • Biological Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;Institut für Biomedizinische Technik, Universität Karlsruhe (TH), Karlsruhe, Germany;Directorate of Information Systems, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;Institute of Membrane and Systems Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK;Manchester Heart Centre, Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK;Biological Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

  • Venue:
  • FIMH'07 Proceedings of the 4th international conference on Functional imaging and modeling of the heart
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) induced electrical remodelling of ionic channels shortens action potential duration and reduces atrial excitability. Experimental data of AF-induced electrical remodelling (AFER) from two previous studies on human atrial myocytes were incorporated into a human atrial cell computer model to simulate their effects on atrial electrical behaviour. The dynamical behaviors of excitation scroll waves in an anatomical 3D homogenous model of human atria were studied for control and AF conditions. Under control condition, scroll waves meandered in large area and became persistent when entrapped by anatomical obstacles. In this case, a mother rotor dominated atrial excitation. Action potentials from several sites behaved as if the atrium were paced rapidly. Under AF conditions, AFER increased the stability of re-entrant scroll waves by reducing meander. Scroll wave break up leads to wavelets underpinning sustained chronic AF. Our simulation results support the hypothesis that AF-induced electrical remodelling perpetuates and sustains AF.