Research Topic: Controlling Cardiac Complexity

Tim De Coster, Stefan Luther, and Ulrich Parlitz are joining forces as Guest Editors of the Research Topic Controlling Cardiac Complexity in Frontiers in Network Physiology. The collection focuses on the mechanisms and control of cardiac complexity, bringing together ideas from network physiology, nonlinear dynamics, computational modelling and experiments. At its core is a fundamental question in cardiac research: how do interactions across many different scales give rise to complex and potentially dangerous heart rhythms?

Cardiac arrhythmias emerge when the normally coordinated electrical waves in the heart are disrupted by factors such as tissue heterogeneity, fibrosis or altered cellular properties. These interactions can produce anything from highly organized rotating waves to seemingly chaotic electrical activity. Understanding these patterns is an important step towards developing more precise ways of controlling them. In particular, concepts from nonlinear dynamics and network physiology could help move beyond interventions that affect large areas of the heart towards more targeted approaches, including low-energy methods for controlling arrhythmias.

Our Research Topic invites theoretical, computational and experimental studies addressing cardiac dynamics across different spatial and temporal scales. By bringing together researchers from different disciplines, our collection aims to connect fundamental insights into cardiac complexity with new approaches for diagnosis and treatment. We are looking forward to seeing the ideas and collaborations that emerge from this collection!