A simplified biophysical cell model for gastric slow wave entrainment simulation

Gastric electrical activity, also termed slow wave activity, is generated by a class of pacemaker cells called the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), which are organized with decreasing intrinsic frequencies along the stomach. In the healthy stomach, slow waves of different intrinsic frequencies converge to a single frequency with a constant phase-lag, in a process called entrainment. The main aim of this study was to develop a simplified biophysical ICC model that is capable of modeling the self-excitatory behavior and standard morphology of gastric slow waves. Entrainment of gastric slow waves was simulated in a one-dimensional (1D) model, with a linear gradient of intrinsic slow wave frequencies. In a coupled 1D model, the simulated slow waves were entrained to a single frequency; whereas in an uncoupled 1D model, the simulated slow waves occurred at different frequencies, resulting in loss of entrainment. The new cell model presents an option for future large multi-scale simulations of gastric slow waves in intact ICC network and diseased conditions where the loss of entrainment may lead to slow wave dysrhythmias and diminished gastric motility.