Reduced mathematical-computational model for action potential, calcium dynamics, and active tension in cardiomyocytes

• João Gabriel Rocha Silva IFB
• Carolina Ribeiro Xavier UFSJ
• Rodrigo Weber dos Santos UFJF

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbcas_estendido.2025.7630

Abstract

The simulation of the heart’s electromechanical activity is essential for analyzing cardiac phenomena, but computational models can be costly. In this thesis, a reduced cellular-level model was developed, capable of qualitatively reproducing the heart’s electromechanical activity, considering the electrical, calcium, and mechanical interactions, as well as simulating the effects of different drugs. The model was constructed by coupling the minimal Bueno-Orovio model for the electrical component and simplified equations for the calcium and active tension dynamics, with parameters adjusted by a genetic algorithm. The results showed that the model adequately reproduced the action potential, calcium, and active force with only six ordinary differential equations. Furthermore, in 3D simulations, the developed model showed a significant reduction in computational cost compared to the reference model, with noticeable speed-up gains on both GPU and CPU. The speed-up reached up to 5.75 on the CPU, highlighting the efficiency of the proposed model for extensive biventricular simulations.

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