Data from: Atypical collective oscillatory activity in cardiac tissue uncovered by optogenetics

Many biological processes emerge as frequency-dependent responses to
trains of external stimuli. Heart rhythm disturbances, i.e., cardiac
arrhythmias, are important examples as they are often triggered by
specific patterns of preceding stimuli. In this study, we investigated how
ectopic arrhythmias can be induced by external stimuli in cardiac tissue
containing a localised area of depolarisation. Using optogenetic in vitro
experiments, we systematically explored the dynamics of these arrhythmias,
which are characterized by local oscillatory activity. Our findings reveal
a bi-stable system, in which transitions between oscillatory ectopic
activity and a quiescent state can be precisely controlled, i.e., by
adjusting the number and frequency of propagating waves through the
depolarized area, oscillations could be turned on or off. These
frequency-dependent responses arise from collective mechanisms involving
stable, non-self-oscillatory cells, contrasting with the typical role of
self-oscillations in individual units within biophysical systems.