Studies of Exitation of Multicomponent Media

Summary

We have studied the excitable media, consisting of elements (fibres, cells) with different properties (threshold, refractoryness, capacity etc). The medium was supposed to be the sincitium, i.e. all the cells have common axoplasma. The velocity of excitation conduction in such a medium has been calculated. The velocity of propagation of excitation may have some different meanings, one half corresponding to the stable impulses, the other corresponding to unstable impulses.

In the case of two-component media we have studied complex regimes of exitation. In such a medium even in a one-dimentional case there is a possibility of existance of cyclic excitation, which is usually called reverberator. The excitation may propagate along the fibres of one type or another or along both at once. The impulses of different types have different velocities. The greatest velocity is that of collective excitation. The nature of the reverberator is described, and the parameters, such as velocity and frequency, have been calculated.

The interference of reverberator with the ordinary impulse of excitation was investigated. The reverberator is a very stable phenomenon. It is impossible to destroy the reverberator by the collision with ordinary impulses, radiated from it. If two reverberators collide, one of them will be destroyed.

These phenomena obviously have something in common with cardial fibrillation.