A comparison of two models for calculating the electrical potential in skeletal muscle.

We compare two models for calculating the extracellular electrical potential in skeletal muscle bundles: one a bidomain model, and the other a model using spatial and temporal frequency-dependent conductivities. Under some conditions the two models are nearly identical. However, under other conditions the model using frequency-dependent conductivities provides a more accurate description of the tissue. The bidomain model, having been developed to describe syncytial tissues like cardiac muscle, fails to provide a general description of skeletal muscle bundles due to the non-syncytial nature of skeletal muscle.