Hysteresis phenomena between periodic and stationary solutions in a model of pacemaker and nonpacemaker coupled cardiac cells (Q1091976)

We were interested in investigating the behaviour of a cardiac electrophysiological model including coupled pacemaker (PM) and non- pacemaker (NPM) cells. To this aim, a modified version of the model of \textit{F. J. Van Capelle} and \textit{D. Durrer} [Computer simulation of arrhytmias in a network of coupled excitable elements. Circ. Res. 47, 454-466 (1980)] was used. First, few discrete values were assigned to coupling resistance (CR) and respective cell sizes and numerical simulations versus time showed three possible kinds of response pattern: sustained rhythmic activity, subthreshold oscillations, and complete inhibition. Then, after setting a fixed value to PM cell size, we undertake a thorough study of the system by using bifurcation-continuation techniques and CR was chosen as the continuation parameter. On the maximum action potential - CR plane representation, we could describe five behavioural zones: complete inhibition, coexistence of complete inhibition and NPM large oscillations, NPM large oscillations, coexistence of NPM large oscillations and subthreshold oscillations, subthreshold oscillations. Within the zones of qualitatively different coexisting solutions, a detailed exploration clearly demonstrated the presence of hysteresis cycles.