Reentry in cardiac ventricular epicardial tissue due to SCN5A L812Q gene mutation: a computational study

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of sudden death. Brugada syndrome is an inherited rare disease, that leads to death due to ventricular fibrillation (VF). Brugada Syndrome is related to mutations in the genes that encode SCN5A, a subunit of sodium ion channel (NaV). This computational study investigates the mechanism of loss of function gene mutation (SCN5A L812Q) in sodium ion channel that leads to spiral wave and further develops into VF in an epicardial tissue with homozygous condition. Study was made on wild type, L812Q heterozygous mutated and homozygous mutated ventricular tissues. Ten Tusscher human ventricular cell model (TP06) was used for the simulation study. VF is developed when a spiral wave that causes ventricular arrhythmia breaks. This leads to the formation of multiple spiral waves that are activated on different regions of the ventricles called wave break. This is observed in the epicardial tissue with homozygous condition as the effect of SCN5A L812Q gene mutation. This indicates that VF occurs in the SCN5A L812Q gene mutated homozygous ventricular epicardial tissue that may further lead to Brugada syndrome.