Exploring the role of inhibitory coupling in duplex networks**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11565005 and 11365003).

Abstract

The electrical coupling of myocytes and fibroblasts can play a role in inhibiting electrical impluse propagation in cardiac muscle. To understand the function of fibroblast–myocyte coupling in the aging heart, the spiral-wave dynamics in the duplex networks with inhibitory coupling is numerically investigated by the Bär–Eiswirth model. The numerical results show that the inhibitory coupling can change the wave amplitude, excited phase duration and excitability of the system. When the related parameters are properly chosen, the inhibitory coupling can induce local abnormal oscillation in the system and the Eckhaus instability of the spiral wave. For the dense inhibitory network, the maximal decrement (maximal increment) in the excited phase duration can reach 24.3%(13.4%), whereas the maximal decrement in wave amplitude approaches 28.1%. Upon increasing the inhibitory coupling strength, the system excitability is reduced and even completely suppressed when the interval between grid points in the inhibitory network is small enough. Moreover, the inhibitory coupling can lead to richer phase transition scenarios of the system, such as the transition from a stable spiral wave to turbulence and the transition from a meandering spiral wave to a planar wave. In addition, the self-sustaining planar wave, the unique meandering of spiral wave and inward spiral wave are observed. The physical mechanisms behind the phenomena are analyzed.