Regulation of calcium and potassium currents reduces the arrhythmic risk in cardiac cells: a computational study with BPS and ToR-ORd models

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an unexpected stop of heart function that cause death and is widely spread worldwide. The leading cause of SCD is represented by abnormal heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. The presence of early after depolarizations (EADs) represents a primary mechanism promoting arrhythmias. This study has analyzed the impact of the L-type calcium current (ICaL) and delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr) on the presence of EADs. Two cardiac mathematical models (BPS and Tor-ORd) have been used in order to study the effects of the two currents on proarrhythmic activities. Indeed, these two currents are really important in developing a healthy action potential. Therefore, they have been studied because they have a predominant role in preventing EADs. Hence, this project aims to analyze the ability of the IKr and ICaL channels to reduce the presence of EADs.