Calcium movements controlling mammalian myocardial contractility: analog computation of contractile behavior assuming...

We present a model to be displayed on a medium scale analog computer, which describes excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling of the mammalian myocardium in terms of calcium movements occurring, on a sarcomere level, in a multicompartment system, Despite the fact that its mathematical formulations are oversimplifications of the mechanism involved, because the number of differential equations had to be limited, the model predicts with fair accuracy a large variety of inotropic phenomena thought to be the result of factors influencing cardiac E-C coupling in one way or another. Therefore, in its basic assumption, the overall concept might be correct, and if so, it should be possible to use the model in order to make predictions which can be tested experimentally and can help in understanding results which are otherwise difficult to interpret.