Synchronization of electrically induced calcium firings in self-assembled cardiac cells

We study the adaptive changes of a population of cells responding to external stimulus. Two-dimensionally distributed cardiac cells were homogeneously subjected to periodic electrical stimulus and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) changes were simultaneously observed. In the absence of stimulation, coupled cells in monolayer formed groups of several cells oscillating in similar phase, while isolated cells showed irregular periodicity. In both systems, [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were modulated by periodic stimulation, and ascending degrees of synchronization among [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were shown as stimulation intensity increased. In a population of coupled cells, the cells act like a single robust oscillator. These results are evaluated using statistical calculations, comparing the response manner of isolated cells.