Calcium Induced Calcium Release with Stochastic Uniform Flux Density in a Heart Cell

Abstract

Calcium is a critical component in many cellular functions. It serves many important functions such as signal transduction, contraction of muscles, enzyme function, and maintaining potential difference across excitable membranes. We examine the self-organization of calcium waves in a heart cell and how they propagate through the cell. Specifically, the crucial parameter of flux density that controls the amount of calcium released at each calcium release unit is assumed a known constant in the original model. In reality, this value is not known exactly, thus we design parameter studies where the flux density is made a stochastic parameter for each simulation. This technique from uncertainty quantification allows for determining the range of the flux density, in which calcium waves are likely to self-organize, but without physiologically unrealistic saturation of the cell and without electrical stimulation.