Finite Element Model to Study One Dimensional Calcium Dyanmics in Cardiac Myocytes

Abstract

The multi physical process involving calcium ions regulate expansion and contraction of cardiac myocytes. This mechanism of expansion and contraction of cardiac myocytes is responsible for contraction and expansion of heart for pumping of blood into arteries and receiving blood into heart from vein. Thus calcium dynamics in cardiac myocytes is responsible for the activities of the myocytes cells and functioning of the heart. The specific spatiotemporal calcium ion dynamics is required to trigger, sustain and terminate activity of the cell. In this paper an attempt has been done to propose a model to study calcium dynamics in cardiac myocytes for a one-dimensional unsteady state case. The model incorporates the process like diffusion, reaction involving source and excess buffers. Appropriate boundary conditions and initial conditions have been framed. The finite element method has been employed to obtain the solution. The numerical results have been used to study the effect of buffers and source influx on calcium dynamics in cardiac myocytes.