Mathematical modeling of axonal formation. Part I: Geometry

A stochastic model is proposed for the position of the tip of an axon. Parameters in the model are determined from laboratory data. The first step is the reduction of inherent error in the laboratory data, followed by estimating parameters and fitting a mathematical model to this data. Several axonogenesis aspects have been investigated, particularly how positive axon elongation and growth cone kinematics are coupled processes but require very different theoretical descriptions. Preliminary results have been obtained through a series of experiments aimed at isolating the response of axons to controlled gradient exposures to guidance cues and the effects of ethanol and similar substances. We show results based on the following tasks; (A) development of a novel filtering strategy to obtain data sets truly representative of the axon trail formation; (B) creation of a coarse graining method which establishes (C) an optimal parameter estimation technique, and (D) derivation of a mathematical model which is stochastic in nature, parameterized by arc length. The framework and the resulting model allow for the comparison of experimental and theoretical mean square displacement (MSD) of the developing axon. Current results are focused on uncovering the geometric characteristics of the axons and MSD through analytical solutions and numerical simulations parameterized by arc length, thus ignoring the temporal growth processes. Future developments will capture the dynamic growth cone and how it behaves as a function of time. Qualitative and quantitative predictions of the model at specific length scales capture the experimental behavior well.