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The Phantom Burster Model For Pancreatic Β-Cells, Richard Bertram, Joseph Previte, Arthur Sherman, Tracie A. Kinard, Leslie S. Satin

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Abstract

Pancreatic β-cells exhibit bursting oscillations with a wide range of periods. Whereas periods in isolated cells are generally either a few seconds or a few minutes, in intact islets of Langerhans they are intermediate (10–60 s). We develop a mathematical model for β-cell electrical activity capable of generating this wide range of bursting oscillations. Unlike previous models, bursting is driven by the interaction of two slow processes, one with a relatively small time constant (1–5 s) and the other with a much larger time constant (1–2 min). Bursting on the intermediate time scale is generated without need …