Do calcium buffers always slow down the propagation of calcium waves? (Q2435069)

For the investigation of the biological problem connected with calcium buffers in the propagation of calcium waves, the author uses the buffered FitzHugh-Nagumo model allowing to study the properties of these waves to find the critical dissociation constant \(K(a)\) characterized by the system excitability parameter \(a\) such that calcium buffers can be classified into two types: weak buffers \(K \in (K(a), \infty)\) and strong buffers \(K \in (0,K(a))\). Such classification leads to the following two results: (i) Suppose that the buffer \(B_1\) is a weak buffer or a strong buffer with its total concentration \(b^1_0\) below some critical total concentration \(b^1_{0,c}\), and that the initial system \(S\) admits a biologically acceptable wave. Then the addition of the buffer \(B_1\) with sufficiently large diffusivity \(D_1\) into the system \(S\) can generate a biologically acceptable wave of the resulting system which propagates faster than that of the initial system \(S\). Further, the magnitude of the wave speed of traveling waves of the resulting system is proportional to \(\sqrt{D_1}\) as \(D_1 \to \infty\). (ii) Suppose that the buffer \(B_1\) is a strong buffer with its total concentration \(b^1_0>b^1_{0,c}\). Then the addition of the buffer \(B_1\) with sufficiently large diffusivity \(D_1\) into the system \(S\) may not support the formation of a biologically acceptable wave of the resulting system. The remaining basic part of the article is devoted to the solution of the calcium waves propagation problem on the base of these two results.