Controlling Cardiac Complexity

Heart rhythm disorders remain the leading cause of death in the Western world. These disorders are characterized by electrical waves that travel through the heterogeneous network structure of the heart. This structurally and functionally imperfect network is characterized by conduction heterogeneity, fibrosis, missing or damaged connections, and dynamically changing cellular properties. The resulting nonlinear wave dynamics can generate highly organized or complex chaotic activation patterns. A central challenge in cardiology is therefore the understanding and control of these emergent complex electrical patterns using novel concepts of (low-energy) defibrillation methods. Current anti-arrhythmic therapies are broadly categorized as rate control and rhythm control strategies, employing pharmacological interventions or catheter ablation to modify the arrhythmogenic substrate. While highly effective, these approaches generally act on large regions of tissue or systemic electrophysiological properties and therefore remain relatively coarse and non-localized forms of control.Advancing beyond current therapeutics requires a deeper understanding of cardiac complexity across scales: from ion channel dynamics and cellular coupling to tissue architecture, whole-heart propagation, and organ-level network organization. In particular, concepts from network physiology and nonlinear dynamics offer a promising framework to characterize how local perturbations give rise to global rhythm disturbances, and how subtle, targeted interventions may restore physiological behavior.This editorial collection in Frontiers in Network Physiology aims to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives on the mechanisms and control of cardiac complexity. We welcome contributions spanning theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches that investigate cardiac dynamics through the lens of network theory, nonlinear systems, and multiscale physiology. Topics may range from cellular and subcellular mechanisms of electrical instability to tissue-level propagation, whole-organ dynamics, and innovative control strategies with translational potential. By bridging fundamental theory with experimental and clinical application, this collection seeks to stimulate new approaches toward precision control of cardiac complexity. Topic editors: Tim De Coster, Stefan Luther, Ulrich Parlitz Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81602/controlling-cardiac-complexity