A simple nonlinear model of electrical activity in the intestine.

We have simulated electrical activity of the intestine in a computer model that describes the coupled layers of longitudinal muscle (LM) and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). The model suggests that pacemaker activity is due to the ICC layer, while the pulse propagation involves the LM layer that is in the excitatory state. The model describes well the experimentally observed phenomena: frequency change along the intestine, synchronization along short distances and desynchronization for long distances, and the decrease of propagation distance and propagation time along the intestine. We have observed the occurrence of phase interruptions or breaks, which are responsible for the limited values of propagation distance and time. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.