AUTHOR=Munro Krull Erin , Börgers Christoph TITLE=Why strengthening gap junctions may hinder action potential propagation JOURNAL=Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics VOLUME=9 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/applied-mathematics-and-statistics/articles/10.3389/fams.2023.1186333 DOI=10.3389/fams.2023.1186333 ISSN=2297-4687 ABSTRACT=
Gap junctions are channels in cell membranes allowing ions to pass directly between cells. They are found throughout the body, including heart myocytes, neurons, and astrocytes. In cardiac tissue and throughout the nervous system, an action potential (AP) in one cell can trigger APs in neighboring cells connected by gap junctions. It is known experimentally that there is an ideal gap junction conductance for AP propagation—lower