event
Tuesday 10 Sep 2013: A Mathematical Model for Pancreatic Islet Oscillations and their Synchronization
Richard Bertram - Florida State University
Harrison 215 11:15-12:15
Insulin is a key hormone for glucose uptake and utilization in the body.
It is known to be pulsatile, with a period of about 5 min, and this
pulsatility facilitates proper glucose homeostasis by the liver.
We describe a mathematical model that has been developed over the past
decade for the electrical activity, calcium handling, and metabolism
of insulin-secreting b-cells within pancreatic islets. This Dual
Oscillator Model consists of an oscillator involving ionic currents
and calcium feedback, and a separate but coupled oscillator driven by oscillations
in glycolysis. The model has been used successfully to make predictions
that have been tested in the laboratory, as we discuss in this presentation.
We also discuss theoretical and experimental work done to understand how the
hundreds of thousands of physically disconnected islets in the pancreas synchronise
their rhythms.
