Work

Spatial trigger waves: positive feedback gets you a long way

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: Trigger waves are a recurring biological phenomenon involved in transmitting information quickly and reliably over large distances. Well-characterized examples include action potentials propagating along the axon of a neuron, calcium waves in various tissues, and mitotic waves in Xenopus eggs. Here we use the FitzHugh-Nagumo model, a simple model inspired by the action potential that is widely used in physics and theoretical biology, to examine different types of trigger waves-spatial switches, pulses, and oscillations-and to show how they arise.

Source: Molecular Biology of the Cell

DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e14-08-1306

Authors: Lendert Gelens, Graham A. Anderson, James E. Ferrell

Institutions: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation

Subfield: Computer Networks and Communications

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green