Received October 30, 2005
Revised December 14, 2005
Accepted after revision January 6, 2006
GI & Epithelial Physiology [230]
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Multiscale modelling of gastric electric activity: Can
the EGG detect functional electrical uncoupling?
Martin L Buist 1*,
Leo K Cheng 2,
Kenton M Sanders 3,
Andrew J Pullan 2
1 National University of Singapore
2 The University of Auckland
3 University of Nevada School of Medicine
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: biebml{at}nus.edu.sg.
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Abstract |
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During recent years there has been a growing interest in
the assessment of gastric electrical health through
cutaneous abdominal recordings. The analysis of such
recordings is largely limited to an inspection of
frequency dynamics and this has raised doubts as to
if functional gastric electrical uncoupling can be
detected using this technique. We describe here a
computational approach to the problem where the
equations governing the underlying physics of the
problem have been solved over an anatomically detailed
human torso geometry. Cellular electrical activity was
embedded within a stomach tissue model and this was
coupled to the torso using an equivalent current source
approach. Simulations were performed in which normal and
functionally uncoupled (through the introduction of an
ectopic antral pacemaker) gastric slow wave activity was
present and corresponding cutaneous electrogastrograms
were produced. These were subsequently analysed using
the currently recommended techniques and it was found
that the functionally uncoupled situation was
indistinguishable from normal slow wave activity using
this approach.
Key Words:
Electrophysiology, Gastrointestinal tract, Smooth muscle
