The emergence of chimera states in a network of nephrons

The kidney plays an essential role in our body, mainly by controlling secretion and reabsorption of water and salts. The kidneys consist of a large number of nephrons which are the functional units of the kidney. The interactions between these nephrons induce different behaviors which can be considered by a dynamical model. In this paper, a network of coupled nephron models and its dynamics is investigated. Numerical simulations of the network reveal various types of dynamical patterns depending on the coupling function and strength. One of the observed phenomenon is the emergence of chimera state. A chimera state is defined by the coexistence of coherent and incoherent groups in a network of identical oscillators. The occurrence of the chimera state can be related to the situation of disturbed synchronous oscillation of the TGF-mediated proximal pressure.