Joyner R W, van Capelle F J
Biophys J. 1986 Dec;50(6):1157-64. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(86)83559-7.
Each normal cardiac cycle is started by an action potential that is initiated in the sino-atrial (SA) node by automaticity of the SA nodal cells. This action potential then propagates from the SA node into the surrounding atrial cells. We have done numerical simulations of electrically coupled cells to understand how a small SA node can be spontaneously active and yet be sufficiently electrically coupled to the surrounding quiescent atrial cells to initiate an action potential in the atrial cells. Our results with a simple model of two coupled cells and a more complex model of a two-dimensional sheet of cells suggest that some degree of electrical uncoupling of the cells within the SA node may be an essential design feature of the normal SA-atrial system.
每个正常心动周期由窦房（SA）结细胞的自律性在窦房结引发的动作电位启动。然后该动作电位从窦房结传播到周围的心房细胞。我们对电耦合细胞进行了数值模拟，以了解小的窦房结如何能够自发活动，同时又能与周围静止的心房细胞充分电耦合，从而在心房细胞中引发动作电位。我们用两个耦合细胞的简单模型和二维细胞片的更复杂模型得到的结果表明，窦房结内细胞的某种程度的电解耦可能是正常窦房-心房系统的一个基本设计特征。
