Abstract
Synchronized oscillations are of critical functional importance in many biological systems. We show that such oscillations can arise without centralized coordination in a disordered system of electrically coupled excitable and passive cells. Increasing the coupling strength results in waves that lead to coherent periodic activity, exhibiting cluster, local and global synchronization under different conditions. Our results may explain the self-organized transition in a pregnant uterus from transient, localized activity initially to system-wide coherent excitations just before delivery.
- Received 4 July 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.068102
© 2012 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Birth Rhythms
Published 9 February 2012
A model explains why, during pregnancy, contractions in the uterus exhibit collective behavior.
See more in Physics