An understanding of the propagation of electrical activity through ventricular myocardium requires knowledge of both the electrical behavior of an individual cardiac cell, and the role of the cardiac syncytium. This project will utilize electric, magnetic, and optical mapping of cardiac activation in the isolated rabbit heart and numerical simulations with the bidomain model to link ion channel kinetics to macroscopic electrical behavior. In the bidomain model, cardiac tissue is a three dimensional (3-D) electrical cable with anisotropic intra-and extracellular spaces that are separated by a nonlinear cell membrane. Recent experiments confirm the validity of this model with unequal intra- and extracellular anisotropies, and demonstrate the important role of virtual cathodes and anodes in the cardiac response to electrical stimulation. The objectives of this proposal are to explore poorly understood phenomena in cardiac electrophysiology that may be the result of unequal anisotropies, and to apply the resulting knowledge to problems in cardiac stimulation and defibrillation.
The Specific Aims are to determine how electrical anisotropies and tissue macrostructure affect (1) the propagation of depolarization (2) the spread of repolarization, and (3) the response to external electrical stimuli. This will require (4) refinement of the advanced electrical, optical, and magnetic recording techniques and numerical methods already developed by the investigators, and may require (5) extension of the bidomain model to include tissue heterogeneities. Hypotheses to be tested include: a perfusing bath reduces the rate of rise of the action potential; the spiral fiber geometry at the cardiac apex produces electrically-silent magnetic fields; the MCG T-wave is altered at high heart rates whereas the MCG QRS, ECG QRS, and ECT T-wave are not; unequal bidomain anisotropies and tissue interfaces determine the magnitude fields from injury currents; anodal and cathodal strength-interval curves contain make and break sections; the dip in the anodal strength-interval curve corresponds to anodal-break stimulation; virtual electrodes are important in both bipolar and biphasic stimulation; a SQUID magnetometer array can image defibrillation currents; and cardiac fiber curvature strongly affects the transmembrane potential distribution during defibrillation. The required electrical and optical instruments are already developed; a scanning high resolution SQUID magnetometer array will be constructed for mapping the epicardial magnetic field of the isolated rabbit heart. This research could clarify the role of electrical anisotropy during propagation and repolarization, and during stimulation and defibrillation of the heart.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL058241-05
Application #
6389669
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG7-SSS-X (74))
Program Officer
Altieri, Frank
Project Start
1997-05-01
Project End
2002-11-30
Budget Start
2001-05-01
Budget End
2002-11-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$379,586
Indirect Cost
Name
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department
Physics
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004413456
City
Nashville
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37212
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Gray, Richard A; Mashburn, David N; Sidorov, Veniamin Y et al. (2013) Transmembrane current imaging in the heart during pacing and fibrillation. Biophys J 105:1710-9
Woods, Marcella C; Uzelac, Ilija; Holcomb, Mark R et al. (2013) Diastolic field stimulation: the role of shock duration in epicardial activation and propagation. Biophys J 105:523-32
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Drake, Kenneth J; Sidorov, Veniamin Y; McGuinness, Owen P et al. (2012) Amino acids as metabolic substrates during cardiac ischemia. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 237:1369-78
Venkataraman, Raghav; Holcomb, Mark R; Harder, Rene et al. (2012) Ratiometric imaging of calcium during ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolated mouse hearts using Fura-2. Biomed Eng Online 11:39
Sidorov, Veniamin Y; Uzelac, Ilija; Wikswo, John P (2011) Regional increase of extracellular potassium leads to electrical instability and reentry occurrence through the spatial heterogeneity of APD restitution. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 301:H209-20
Schmidt, Michael D; Vallabhajosyula, Ravishankar R; Jenkins, Jerry W et al. (2011) Automated refinement and inference of analytical models for metabolic networks. Phys Biol 8:055011
McBride, Krista Kay; Roth, Bradley J; Sidorov, V Y et al. (2010) Measurements of transmembrane potential and magnetic field at the apex of the heart. Biophys J 99:3113-8

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