ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses aspects of the function of the heart with mathematical models in the form of vignettes. Some of the models are very simple, others are more complicated, and some of the simulation models that have been developed for academic and commercial purposes are extremely complex. The chapter introduces some simple black-box models that describe and analyze heartbeat-like oscillations. It describes calcium oscillations with a minimalistic ordinary differential equation model and explores how far such a model can lead us in understanding heart function. The chapter also discusses how chemistry and the laws of electrophysiology govern the contractions in individual heart cells, and how the activities of all heart cells are coordinated in a fashion that results in proper heart pumping. The models connect genetic, molecular, physiological, and clinical phenomena in a stepwise, causative fashion. The same models can be extended into a whole-heart model, which demonstrates how molecular aberrations at the cellular level may lead to macroscopic changes.
