Bioelectromagnetism

Regular enrolement

Introduction: Electrical, Magnetic, and Electro-magnetic Phenomena in Living Org. and Humans 

Basics of Electrophysiology:  

electrical phenomena in the cell membrane (resting potential, action potential, graded potential, and sensory potential); synapse and basic principles of electrochemical information transmission; measurements at the cellular level, in tissues, and non-invasively in humans 

Electrocardiogram (ECG): Basics of cardiac muscle physiology, heart function, and its electrical activity, temporal and spatial coupling of current sources in the ECG signal, measurement, disturbances, filtering, inverse problems, uncertainties due to anatomical structural variability, basic interpretation of rhythm and function, electrical stimulation and cardiac defibrillation 

Electromyogram (EMG): Basics of skeletal muscle cell physiology, motor units, regulation, co-activation, nerve conduction velocity, biphasic potential; measurements, disturbances, inverse problems; electrical and magnetic functional stimulation of nerves and muscles 

Electroencephalogram (EEG): electrical activity of the brain, basic physiology, and evoked potentials 

Laboratory Exercises: Measurements & disturbances, ECG, EMG, and EEG 

Simulation Models: anatomical model of ECG, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) 

• Jaakko Malmivuo, Robert Plonsey, Plonsey Malmivuo, Bioelectromagnetism: Principles and Applications of Bioelectric and Biomagnetic Fields, Oxford University Press; (August 1995), 512 pp, ISBN: 0195058232

Students learn about the basics of electrophysiological activities of organs (or parts of organs) in human and other live beings
Competences: Understanding of organ electrophysiological activities. Ability to physically describe electrophysiological activity of different organs. Modeling of the electromagnetic effects. Ability to solve forward and inverse problems. Critical understanding of electro- and magneto-physicological measurements and protection against external fields. Comparison and analysis with other diagnostic approaches.

Knowledge and understanding:
Understanding of the fundamental electromagnetic concepts in humans. Being able to quantify and analyze electrophysiological measurements. Being able to model the process and connect to other diagnostic procedures.
Application:
Use of electromagnetic activity in humans as supplements to other diagnostic methods.
Reflection:
Critical evaluation of the electrophysiologic measurements. Ability to connect the knowledge to other imaging methods.
Transferable skills:
Application of the mathematical modeling skils to the electrophysiological problems. Ability to analyze the data. Ability to effectively communicate with the physicians.

Lectures, seminars, consultations.

Obligatory Laboratory.

Seminars (problem solving)
5 - 10, a student passes the exam if he is graded from 6 to 10

Borut Kirn:

• Kirn B, Diedrich M, Schmitz-Rode T, Steinseifer U, Jansen SV. Detection of physiological control inputs preload and afterload from intrinsic pump parameters in total artificial heart. Artif Organs, May;47(5):817-827, 2023  
• Kirn B, Walmsley J, Lumens J. Uniqueness of local myocardial strain patterns with respect to activation time and contractility of the failing heart: a computational study. Biomed Eng Online, Dec 5;17(1):182, 2018 
• Kirn B, Jansen A, Bracke F, van Gelder B, Arts T, Prinzen FW. Mechanical discoordination rather than dyssynchrony predicts reverse remodeling upon cardiac resynchronization. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, Aug;295(2):H640-6, 2008