Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape
Unlike most excitable cells, certain syncytial smooth muscle cells are known to exhibit spontaneous action potentials of varying shapes and sizes. These differences in shape are observed even in electrophysiological recordings obtained from a single cell. The origin and physiological relevance of th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2018.01300/full |
| _version_ | 1818552367510978560 |
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| author | Shailesh Appukuttan Mithun Padmakumar John S. Young Keith L. Brain Keith L. Brain Rohit Manchanda |
| author_facet | Shailesh Appukuttan Mithun Padmakumar John S. Young Keith L. Brain Keith L. Brain Rohit Manchanda |
| author_sort | Shailesh Appukuttan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unlike most excitable cells, certain syncytial smooth muscle cells are known to exhibit spontaneous action potentials of varying shapes and sizes. These differences in shape are observed even in electrophysiological recordings obtained from a single cell. The origin and physiological relevance of this phenomenon are currently unclear. The study presented here aims to test the hypothesis that the syncytial nature of the detrusor smooth muscle tissue contributes to the variations in the action potential profile by influencing the superposition of the passive and active signals. Data extracted from experimental recordings have been compared with those obtained through simulations. The feature correlation studies on action potentials obtained from the experimental recordings suggest the underlying presence of passive signals, called spontaneous excitatory junction potentials (sEJPs). Through simulations, we are able to demonstrate that the syncytial organization of the cells, and the variable superposition of the sEJPs with the “native action potential”, contribute to the diversity in the action potential profiles exhibited. It could also be inferred that the fraction of the propagated action potentials is very low in the detrusor. It is proposed that objective measurements of spontaneous action potential profiles can lead to a better understanding of bladder physiology and pathology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:12:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3169997f8f9b43f2a80904cc5729ddea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:12:16Z |
| publishDate | 2018-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Physiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3169997f8f9b43f2a80904cc5729ddea2022-12-22T00:29:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2018-09-01910.3389/fphys.2018.01300401810Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential ShapeShailesh Appukuttan0Mithun Padmakumar1John S. Young2Keith L. Brain3Keith L. Brain4Rohit Manchanda5Computational Neurophysiology Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, IndiaComputational Neurophysiology Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, IndiaSchool of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United KingdomInstitute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United KingdomChrist Church, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomComputational Neurophysiology Lab, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, IndiaUnlike most excitable cells, certain syncytial smooth muscle cells are known to exhibit spontaneous action potentials of varying shapes and sizes. These differences in shape are observed even in electrophysiological recordings obtained from a single cell. The origin and physiological relevance of this phenomenon are currently unclear. The study presented here aims to test the hypothesis that the syncytial nature of the detrusor smooth muscle tissue contributes to the variations in the action potential profile by influencing the superposition of the passive and active signals. Data extracted from experimental recordings have been compared with those obtained through simulations. The feature correlation studies on action potentials obtained from the experimental recordings suggest the underlying presence of passive signals, called spontaneous excitatory junction potentials (sEJPs). Through simulations, we are able to demonstrate that the syncytial organization of the cells, and the variable superposition of the sEJPs with the “native action potential”, contribute to the diversity in the action potential profiles exhibited. It could also be inferred that the fraction of the propagated action potentials is very low in the detrusor. It is proposed that objective measurements of spontaneous action potential profiles can lead to a better understanding of bladder physiology and pathology.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2018.01300/fullurinary bladdersmooth muscledetrusorsyncytiumaction potential shapefeature correlation |
| spellingShingle | Shailesh Appukuttan Mithun Padmakumar John S. Young Keith L. Brain Keith L. Brain Rohit Manchanda Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape Frontiers in Physiology urinary bladder smooth muscle detrusor syncytium action potential shape feature correlation |
| title | Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape |
| title_full | Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape |
| title_short | Investigation of the Syncytial Nature of Detrusor Smooth Muscle as a Determinant of Action Potential Shape |
| title_sort | investigation of the syncytial nature of detrusor smooth muscle as a determinant of action potential shape |
| topic | urinary bladder smooth muscle detrusor syncytium action potential shape feature correlation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2018.01300/full |
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