Internal noise induced pattern formation and spatial coherence resonance for calcium signals of diffusively coupled cells

The effects of internal noise in a square-lattice Höfer calcium oscillation system have been studied numerically in the context of chemical Langevin equations. It was found that spatial pattern can be induced by internal noise and, interestingly, an optimal internal noise strength (or optimal cell size) exists which maximizes the spatial coherence of pattern, indicating the occurrence of spatial coherence resonance. The effects of control parameter and coupling strength on system’s spatial coherence have also been investigated. We found that larger internal noise strength is needed to induce spatial pattern for a small control parameter or a stronger coupling strength, and spatial coherence can be enhanced by coupling.