Synchronization phenomena in multimode dynamics of coupled nephrons

Abstract

The individual functional unit оf the kidney (the nephron) displays oscillations in its regulation оf the incoming blood flow аt two different time scales: fast oscillations associated with а myogenic dynamics of the afferent arteriole, and slower oscillations arising from а delay in the tubuloglomerular feedback. The paper investigates the intra- and inter-nephron interactions of these two modes. Besides full synchronization, both wavelet analyses of experimental data and numerical simulations of a detailed physiological model reveal the occurrence of а partial entrainment in which neighboring nephrons attain а state оf synchronization with respect to their slow dynamics, but the fast dynamics remain desynchronized.