Computational Modeling of Cardiac K+ Channels and Channelopathies

Sophisticated ion channel models have even been developed that account for various genetic defects that alter the behavior of ion channels. These complex ion channel representations have been incorporated into numerous cardiac model "cells" from multiple species. The cellular level models have been widely replicated and coupled, creating mathematical representations of cardiac tissue in one, two, or three dimensions, with incorporation of complex anatomical heterogeneities including anisotropy, structural features, and distinct cells with specifically associated electrophysiological characteristics. Experimental data are also increasingly available describing the fundamental structure of ion channels. For this reason, modeling and simulation studies at the molecular scale are now possible and are beginning to reveal fundamental biological principles and structural mechanisms of ion channel functional changes.