Computer reconstruction of the cardiac pacemaker

Sinoatrial (SA) node, the pacemaker of the heart, is a structurally and functionally complex tissue. The role of this complexity in initiation and conduction of the pacemaker activity is not fully understood. Computer modeling provides a powerful alternative way to experiment in studying complex cardiac phenomena. In this work we combine histological, immunochemical, electrophysiological data with mathematical and computational approaches to reconstruct the first anatomically and biophysically detailed model of the rabbit SA node and the surrounding atrium. The model provides an efficient computational platform for studying complex functions of the cardiac pacemaker.