Both electrical and metabolic coupling shape the collective multimodal activity and functional connectivity patterns in beta cell collectives: A computational model perspective

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2304.13961
• Publication Date: 2023-01-01
• Authors: Marko Šterk; Uroš Barać; Andraž Stožer; Marko Gosak
• Keywords: Multicellular organism; Bursting; BETA (programming language)

Pancreatic beta cells are coupled excitable oscillators that synchronize their activity via different communication pathways. Their oscillatory manifests itself on multiple timescales and consists of bursting electrical activity, subsequent oscillations in the intracellular Ca2+, as well metabolism exocytosis. The coordination intricate multicellular level plays a key role regulation physiological pulsatile insulin secretion is incompletely understood. In this contribution, we investigate theoretically principles give rise to synchronized cell populations by building up phenomenological model incorporates basic features dynamics. Specifically, composed slow fast units reflect metabolic processes respectively. Using realistic description intercellular interactions, study how combination coupling generates collective rhythmicity shapes functional networks. It turns out while solely can responses, addition interactions further enhances coordination, spatial range increases number connections networks, ensures better consistency with experimental findings. Moreover, our computational results provide additional insights into relationship between heterogeneity, profiles, connectivity, supplementing thereby recent endocrine