Modelling the periodicity of cardiac muscle

The intractable problem of modelling cardiac muscle of arbitrary extent while preserving cellular structure has been solved using an analytical rather than numerical approach with a method called two-scale asymptotic analysis. In this method, the myocardium was modelled as a collection of bundles arranged periodically in space and connected by junctions, and the distribution of the steady-state potential and current density was determined. The potential both along and across fibers was found to contain a distinct periodic component that determines the transmembrane potential. The magnitude of the transmembrane potential depends on the gradient of applied potential, the dimensions of the bundles, and their internal conductivity. Current flows primarily in the extracellular space, and the extracellular pathway also determines the apparent conductivity of cardiac muscle.