https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-02075-z
Regular Article
Ischemic mechanisms after myocardial infarction in a cellular model of the cardiac conduction system
Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Building B (10), room 502, 80-233, Gdańsk, Pomeranian, Poland
a
beata.jackowska-zduniak@pg.edu.pl
Received:
13
June
2025
Accepted:
18
November
2025
Published online:
1
December
2025
The paper presents a cellular automaton model that reproduces the microstructure and bioelectric conduction of the human heart conduction system, with particular emphasis on the sinoatrial node (SAN). The model takes into account cellular differentiation (myocytes, fibroblasts, collagen) and the presence of connexins (Cx43, Cx45, Cx40) with their assigned conduction resistance. Infarction in the head SAN area was simulated as a growing gradient affecting the biophysical properties of cells and connexin degradation. The results show that progression of infarction leads to conduction disorders in the SAN, interruption of the signal to the atria, and potential activation of an escape rhythm from the atrioventricular node. In our cellular model, we identified electrophysiological phenomena not previously described in the SAN context, including the annihilation of depolarization waves within ischemic regions, a phenomenon previously reported only in the neurophysiological literature. The model reproduces physiological mechanisms and may be useful in the analysis of pathology and testing of therapeutic strategies.
© The Author(s) 2025
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
