Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a disease of the heart characterized by abnormally fast and irregular beating of the upper chambers, the atria, of the heart. It affects over two million Americans, and although not immediately fatal, it can lead to the formation of blood clots. It is the cause of about one-third of all strokes in people over the age of 65. Recently, an inherited basis was found when a gene was implicated in high incidence of AF within some families.
By combining biophysically detailed models of cellular electrohysiology with an anatomically detailed model of the human atria, these researchers hope to be able to reconstruct electrical activity in normal and abnormal hearts. Currently, two models, systems of 21 and 29 coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations, are being used to represent the local kinetics within each heart cell. A detailed model of the human atrial anatomy is being prepared by collaborators at the University of California at San Diego. At the moment, large two-dimensional sheets comprising four hundred thousand cells have ben simulated in parallel on the Supercomputing Institute's Origin 2000 supercomputer and in serial on the IBM SP supercomputer.
Jaya Gopalakrishnan, Graduate Student Researcher
Shirley Min, Business and Technology Center, Medtronic Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Anthony Varghese, Research Associate
By combining biophysically detailed models of cellular electrohysiology with an anatomically detailed model of the human atria, these researchers hope to be able to reconstruct electrical activity in normal and abnormal hearts. Currently, two models, systems of 21 and 29 coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations, are being used to represent the local kinetics within each heart cell. A detailed model of the human atrial anatomy is being prepared by collaborators at the University of California at San Diego. At the moment, large two-dimensional sheets comprising four hundred thousand cells have ben simulated in parallel on the Supercomputing Institute's Origin 2000 supercomputer and in serial on the IBM SP supercomputer.
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