[01] Lazaros Papadopoulos, Laboratory of Medical Informatics, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. [02] Eva Comaroski, Department of Computer Science, Birmingham University, Birmingham, UK.

In early medical education, myocardial electrical behavior is taught by studying the Action Potential (AP) phases and membrane ionic currents. Cellular automata theory can be used to create educational simulations. The aim of this paper was to develop a cardiac electrical activity e-learning tool in Second Life. Myocardial tissue is represented by a network of primitives each having the option of being a stimulus generator. A cell broadcasts messages across the network during depolarization. When a broadcast is received by a neighboring cell, the distance is calculated and compared to a threshold, so that cells cannot get activated by distant neighbors. Electrical propagation is simulated with the use of a probabilistic model of diffusion. The spread of the stimulus is visualized by assigning a color for each AP phase. The simulation is created using the Linden Scripting Language and allows the user build cellular boards create pulse generators or necrotic cells and adjust AP timing, providing the ability to create visualizations of normal myocardial electrical activity, thus promoting e-learning processes through constructivism. Pathological circuits such as reentrance are also simulated.

Medical Education, Simulation, Second Life, Cellular Automata, Virtual World, Electrophysiology, Heart

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