Boundary-driven delayed-feedback control of spatiotemporal dynamics in excitable media

Area of Science:

• Computational Biology
• Nonlinear Dynamics
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Scroll-wave instabilities in excitable media are implicated in severe cardiac arrhythmias.
• Current methods for stabilizing these dynamics are limited, necessitating novel approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of boundary layer heterogeneities on spatiotemporal dynamics in a quasi-2D excitable model.
• To identify mechanisms by which boundary modifications can stabilize spiral wave behavior.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a quasi-2D semidiscrete excitable model to simulate spatiotemporal dynamics.
• Analyzed the effects of varying boundary layer heterogeneities.
• Derived a reduced 2D model to elucidate stabilization mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Discovered a novel boundary-driven mechanism that effectively suppresses meandering and chaotic spiral dynamics.
• Identified a pinning-unpinning-like transition mediated by the strength of boundary heterogeneities.
• Found that reduced bulk excitability and boundary-driven delayed feedback are key to stabilization.

Conclusions:

• Boundary heterogeneities offer a promising strategy for controlling spiral wave instabilities in excitable systems.
• The findings suggest potential alternative methods for managing arrhythmias.
• This research provides a foundation for developing targeted interventions for cardiac rhythm disorders.