Modeling Excitable Tissue

This open access volume presents a novel computational framework for understanding how collections of excitable cells work. The key approach in the text is to model excitable tissue by representing the individual cells constituting the tissue. This is in stark contrast to the common approach where homogenization is used to develop models where the cells are not explicitly present. The approach allows for very detailed analysis of small collections of excitable cells, but computational challenges limit the applicability in the presence of large collections of cells.

This open access volume presents a novel computational framework for understanding how collections of excitable cells work. The key approach in the text is to model excitable tissue by representing the individual cells constituting the tissue. This is in stark contrast to the common approach where homogenization is used to develop models where the cells are not explicitly present. The approach allows for very detailed analysis of small collections of excitable cells, but computational challenges limit the applicability in the presence of large collections of cells.

What every neuroscientist should know about the mathematical modeling of excitable cells, presented at an introductory level.

This book presents a theoretical and practical overview of computational modeling in bioengineering, focusing on a range of applications including electrical stimulation of neural and cardiac tissue, implantable drug delivery, cancer therapy, biomechanics, cardiovascular dynamics, as well as fluid-structure interaction for modelling of organs, tissues, cells and devices. It covers the basic principles of modeling and simulation with ordinary and partial differential equations using MATLAB and COMSOL Multiphysics numerical software. The target audience primarily comprises postgraduate students and researchers, but the book may also be beneficial for practitioners in the medical device industry.

Modeling Electrochemical Dynamics and Signaling Mechanisms in Excitable Cells with Pathological Case Studies covers the neuronal cell communication system in excitable cells, recognizing the most relevant mechanisms of cell communication. Along with new findings in biotechnology, medicine and pathological cases for clinicians, the book highlights electrochemical potential in living nerve and muscle cells. Written for physiological scientists, pharmaceutical scientists, medical doctors, biologists and physicists, this book an essential read for a real understanding of the signals as we see them. Covers neuronal cell communication systems in excitable cells Presents new findings in biotechnology that are being applied in medicine and pathological cases Covers mathematical and physical bases for readers without background in these fields

Calcium Entry Channels in Non-Excitable Cells focuses on methods of investigating the structure and function of non-voltage gated calcium channels. Each chapter presents important discoveries in calcium entry pathways, specifically dealing with the molecular identification of store-operated calcium channels which were reviewed by earlier volumes in the Methods in Signal Transduction series. Crystallographic and pharmacological approaches to the study of calcium channels of epithelial cells are also discussed. Calcium ion is a messenger in most cell types. Whereas voltage gated calcium channels have been studied extensively, the non-voltage gated calcium entry channel genes have only been identified relatively recently. The book will fill this important niche.

This Festschrift volume, pubished in honor of Ugo Montanari on the occasion of his 65th birthday, contains 43 papers, written by friends and colleagues, all leading scientists in their own right, who congregated at a celebratory symposium held on June 12, 2008, in Pisa. The volume consists of seven sections, six of which are dedicated to the main research areas to which Ugo Montanari has contributed: Graph Transformation; Constraint and Logic Programming; Software Engineering; Concurrency; Models of Computation; and Software Verification. Each of these six sections starts with an introductory paper giving an account of Ugo Montanari’s contribution to the area and describing the papers in the section. The final section consists of a number of papers giving a laudation of Ugo Montanari’s numerous achievements.

This is an updated and abridged edition of the original volume published in 2004. Like its predecessor it is targeted for students of bioengineering, biomedical engineering, applied physiology, biological cybernetics and related fields; for engineers and scientists who have an interest in neuroprosthetics; and for medical practitioners using products of that field. The practice of neuroprosthetics requires a fundamental understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, mathematical neurobiology, material science, electrochemistry, and electrophysiology. The text assumes some familiarity with basic anatomy, physiology, calculus, electrophysiology and bioinstrumentation, which typically are covered in undergraduate and first year graduate bioengineering curricula. These areas are also reviewed here, with the aim of consolidating principles fundamental to understanding the field. With that as background, the book then presents an overview of the field with detailed emphasis in selected areas of neural interfaces and neuroprostheses. The covered topics provide readers with sufficient information to understand the theory, rationale, design, and functioning of neuroprosthetic devices currently in clinical use and under development. The current volume is shorter than its predecessor. This has been achieved by reducing some of the repetition present in certain chapters of the earlier edition and eliminating a few chapters whose topics are now well covered in review literature readily available on the internet and elsewhere. Two chapters have been retained in their original versions to provide important background material, but the remaining chapters have either been revised by their original authors or replaced by new versions written by different authors. In addition new topics have been added to the section on existing systems.