20.500.12556/RUL-177376 Electrical pathways through the intricate network of skeletal muscle fibres insights from MRI-validated numerical modeling Objective: Skeletal muscles exhibit pronounced anisotropy due to their highly oriented fibre structure, a property that significantly influences the spatial distribution of tissue mechanical and electrical properties. Understanding this anisotropy is critical for advancing biomedical applications such as electrical stimulation, bioelectric impedance analysis, and novel therapeutic interventions such as pulsed field ablation (PFA). Methods: We developed a numerical model incorporating realistic skeletal muscle fibre geometry at the microscale to elucidate the origins of the experimentally observed anisotropy at the bulk tissue level. To validate the model, we evaluated the skeletal muscle anisotropy using current density imaging (CDI), a magnetic resonance-based technique. Results: The developed numerical model identifies the origins of the observed anisotropy in bulk tissue. Experimental CDI measurements validate the model, confirming that the observed current anisotropy arises from the intrinsic properties of individual muscle fibres and their organization within the tissue. Remarkably, this anisotropy persists several – even up to 48 – hours post-mortem, suggesting a structural basis that transcends the level of muscle cell membranes. Conclusion: The integration of CDI with advanced modelling provides a powerful framework for understanding and leveraging skeletal muscle anisotropy in both imaging and therapeutic applications. Significance: Our study provides an experimentally validated model of skeletal muscle that is relevant to biomedical applications involving electrical treatments. It also invites further experimentation using tissues immediately after harvesting, demonstrating potential use of ex vivo tissues as models of in vivo tissue, reducing the need for experimentation with live animals and the associated ethical burden. current density magnetic resonance imaging current density distribution ex vivo animal tissue numerical modelling skeletal muscle anisotropy muscles biomembranes anisotropic magnetoresistance numerical models current density biological system modeling electric fields connective tissue conductivity computer architecture magnetnoresonančno slikanje tokovne gostote porazdelitev tokovne gostote ex vivo živalsko tkivo numerično modeliranje anizotropija skeletnih mišic true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-12-22 11:23:22 2025-12-22 11:23:27 2026-01-27 13:49:27 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Str. 3535-3545 no. 12 Vol. 72 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 602.621 0018-9294 10.1109/TBME.2025.3572353 261596675 Electrical_Pathways_Through_the_Intricate_Network_of_Skeletal_Muscle_Fibres_Insights_From_MRI-Validated_Numerical_Modeling.pdf Electrical_Pathways_Through_the_Intricate_Network_of_Skeletal_Muscle_Fibres_Insights_From_MRI-Validated_Numerical_Modeling.pdf 1 B5234D48E5C7DEC2792868BF9DC18D31 538f8e4148645de5aa468f5671182da1445aa03421ffae68fc0de2c979f825a5 72ddedf6-df24-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=224390 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11010084 1 d1b856ab-df1f-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=224381 Fakulteta za elektrotehniko 0 0 0